


Born to Rise

by Miishae



Category: Dream Team - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF, mcyt
Genre: Action, Adventure, Friendship, Humor, Language, Other, The Dream Team, manhunters team, mild whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:41:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28709856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miishae/pseuds/Miishae
Summary: Dream wanted Tommy on his team, knowing the teen has what it takes to win. He was not prepared for Tommy to act like Tommy. Tommy was not prepared for the cold hard reality of man hunts. Both parties were warned about this, but some things are better off experienced first hand.Takes place after MCC 11, with Tommy's amazing take-down of Dream's team, resulting in his team's win. Dreamsmp is not canon. SBI friendly.
Comments: 19
Kudos: 126





	1. 0

**Author's Note:**

> I do not condone or endorse shipping or nsfw content of any of the characters, as they are based on real people, and Tommy is a minor.

Rewind is hit again, so he can watch the tape for a third time. He’s analyzing every move, every yell, every order, and anything in between. While his mask is not on, his facial expressions might as well represent; his expression is void of any emotion.

Dream lifts his mug of lukewarm coffee, remembering belatedly he had a drink at all. He’s been in work mode for the past few hours, watching the feedback over and over again. Tommyinnit, up and coming champion in the league, getting one up over _him_. It’s not something that happens often, and Dream is going to pay attention to anyone who manages to rise above. Tommy just happens to be that good.

“Here are the files you requested,” Sapnap’s voice drifts in from somewhere behind him, and Dream reaches up absently to take the folder. “Have you taken a break to stretch at all?” Dream can hear him plopping down in the seat next to him, bumping into the desk and jerking his coffee mug closer to the edge. “Whoops-” Sapnap reaches for the drink, grabbing at it before it can tip over. “Dream?”

“Shut up for a second.” Dream hits rewind again, but he’s now reading through Tommy’s tournament paperwork, going over his stats.. His refusal to look Sapnap in the eye is clearly annoying the man, but he can’t bring himself to currently care. He’s _distracted_. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been watching this.”

“You barely even touched your drink.” Sapnap lifts the mug to sniff the contents. Dream shoots him a strange look before turning back to the video player. “Dream, this is cold.”

“I’m not thirsty,” comes the vague reply. “Have you watched this at all?”

“Yeah, an hour ago, three times in a row. Dream, just recruit him already. You’re already obsessed with him.” 

“I’m- _no_. No no, we’re not going there,” Dream says with a laugh. This helps bring him out of his daze. “He’s a kid, Sap. I’m just trying to figure out if there’s anything else I missed.”

“Considering he’s been watching this for three, going on four, hours now, I highly doubt there’s anything he missed at this point.” It’s George who speaks up this time. Sapnap had forgotten that George and Bad were in the room still, and he twists around to look at them. George looks as if he’d just woken up from a nap, while Bad is playing on his phone, probably sending Skeppy pictures of his dog. Sap turns back to Dream to await his response. 

“You’re probably right,” Dream says dismissively. “I’ve watched it enough times, I could probably have this entire play memorized. Tommy throws the harming pot, gets the jump on us-” 

“-Almost dies,” George mutters under his breath. This earns a snort from Bad.

“He won though,” Dream points out. “It doesn’t matter what mistakes he made, he still won.” He finally leans away from the desk, stretching his arms up over his head. He’s blinking now as he readjusts to the room’s lighting. “Kid’s got some moves, and we’d be dumb to not consider him.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you,” Sapnap says. “You do realize he’s got a family. We can’t just recruit him without his dad’s permission.”

“I could get Phil in here,” Bad offers. “If I know Phil the way I think I do, he’s never too far away at any time.”

“He wouldn’t be near _here_ ,” George grumbles. “Philza Minecraft has better things to do with his life than to hang around people outside of his own clan. He’s got the...the what, the Sleepy Bois? What does that even _mean?”_

“I don’t know, found family?” Bad shrugs as he waves his phone around. “Dream, you never answered my question.”

“You didn’t ask a question,” Dream says, reaching for the mug of coffee. Sapnap hands it over with a wrinkled nose. “Don’t judge me, Sapling. I’m thirsty.” 

“What happened to you _not_ being thirsty?”

“Shut up.” Dream takes a gulp and smacks his lips after he swallows. “That’s disgusting, I need fresh coffee. Yeah, Bad, go ahead and call him in. I’d rather talk to him sooner rather than later.”

“I’m getting on the phone with him right now.” Bad looks gleeful as he dials Phil’s number, politely leaving the room to talk to him. Sapnap reaches for the mug, tugging it out of Dream’s hands and leaving to pour a fresh mug for him.

“Are you certain about Tommy?” George questions. “Considering his age and inexperience?” 

“I don’t buy that he’s not experienced,” Dream counters. “Sure, you get novices who get lucky, but you weren’t paying attention to the things he was saying over the comms. Kid’s got leadership skills, he knows how to pull a team together, and I know if we pushed him a bit, he’d be able to either be on par with us or surpass us.”

“He’s also rambunctious and rude, and _sixteen_ ,” George says pointedly. “I won’t tell you no, since you have your mind made up. Just know he’s got a big mouth, and I would consider that as a huge fallback. Along with the age.”

“Flaws, noted. Age bit, dismissed. We all were sixteen once.” Dream turns away, staring at the paused footage of Tommy post win. Tommy’s face is pure joy, but Dream can vividly hear Tommy’s voice in his head. 

_'We’re not done yet, we’re not done yet boys.'_

Dream loves it. He loves the victory cry, the elation in Tommy’s eyes, but he loves the pull back to business. Tommy clearly knows how to keep people focused, but Dream doesn’t know how to explain _why_ he loves that, not without fumbling over his words. They’ll have to trust he knows what he’s doing.

He’s snapped out of his thoughts when he hears the door creak open. A hot mug of coffee is pressed into his hand at the same time Bad re-enters the room, wearing a grin. 

“Phil’s on his way,” Bad explains. “He seemed unsure about coming, but when I said it was about Tommy, he agreed to show up.”

“What all did you say to him?” Dream asks. “You didn’t exaggerate, did you?” 

“Oh, no.” Bad giggles as he pockets his phone. “I told the truth, that we wanted to talk to him about Tommy. I told him it was a positive thing, but also that it was urgent.” 

“So you _did_ exaggerate,” Sapnap teases. “Way to go Bad, you can manipulate people! Skeppy really is rubbing off on you.” 

“Nooo, _no_. You muffin, that’s not what’s happening.” Bad fakes a pout as he leans against the wall. “Does it matter? It’s getting Phil here so we can talk to him.” 

“He’s already here,” Dream says, seeing headlights shining in the window. Half standing up to peer down to the ground below, he sees Phil’s car pull up. The headlights are shut off a few seconds later, and the man himself is getting out of the car. Phil stands there a second before heading inside.

Dream reaches for his mask and puts it on. He knows he doesn’t have to wear it, but it’s become a symbol, almost a compulsion. Wearing this mask shows the world he means what he says and does, and he desperately needs Phil to listen to him. Maybe he’d call it nervousness.

“George, you haven’t done anything,” Dream says, waving toward the door as he snaps to business. “Will you please show Philza Minecraft in?” 

“I watched the tape with you!” George is getting up though, straightening his clothes, combing his fingers through his hair, and trying to look presentable. They all are; this is a business meeting after all. He leaves, leaving the door open only a crack. The others wait impatiently. Dream gets to his feet to sit on the desk as opposed to a chair, crossing his arms.

This way, he looks intimidating when Phil walks in. He straightens his spine, trying to appear taller even while sitting. He tips his head back to show off the mask, and he tries to take advantage of the dimmer lighting to look bigger.

The raised eyebrow tells him Phil sees right through the act. 

“You wanted to talk to me about Tommy?” Phil starts off. He’s not even letting an awkward silence fester. “Because I’ll have you know he’s a handful.”

“I want him on my team,” Dream says bluntly. If Philza isn’t letting a dramatic build up happen, neither will he. “You’ve seen his clutch and win, you’ve run with him in other tournaments. I want him, I know he can rise to the top with our training.”

“What sort of training will occur?” Phil asks. “Because he’s still a child, I’m not yet ready to let him get himself permanently killed for some championship.”

“Just like in championships, training includes respawn.” Dream tries to sound reassuring, but Phil looks doubtful. “Nothing major will happen to him, aside from a few injuries, most likely. We have our training grounds that we reset every so often, so the world is at his fingertips. Everything will be under control.” 

“I don’t believe you on that front.” Phil bites his bottom lip for a second. “You can promise no deaths, but I’ve heard how you train, I’ve seen the videos that have come out. I know there will be injuries on all sides.”

“I will-” 

“Wait, I’m not done.” Phil holds up a finger, effectively shutting Dream up. He remembers that Phil has a solid reputation of his own; he’s definitely no novice either. “I do, however, trust that you’ll watch over him. I have watched the tapes, I see his potential, and I know where his heart is. All I ask for is no permanent deaths; I don’t think the world is ready to lose our Tommy quite yet.” 

Dream smiles behind the mask. “I promise, he won’t die. We’ll care for him as much as we can while hunting him.” 

Phil smiles at that, tipping his head forward in respect. “Then I don’t think we need to discuss anything further. I’ll leave Tommy in your hands, Dream.”

“We won’t let you down,” Dream says. He tips his own head forward. He waits until Phil leaves, probably to head back home. Dream doesn’t know where Phil’s home is, nor does he want to know. He rather likes the mystery they share between them.

“So, it’s settled then?” George asks. “Phil’s actually giving us permission to take Tommy?”

“Of course he would, Phil’s a hard ass.” 

“Language!” Bad interjects.

Dream rolls his eyes as he pushes the mask up, then turns to face the other three. “We’ve got some preparing to do. I want you three to get the wilderness set up.” He turns to leave the room, to take care of his own plans. 

“What about you? You’re not going to help us?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got my own plans to take care of.” He steps out of the room. “We have to wrangle the star of the show, after all.”

With those words, he closes the door behind him and heads down the hall. He’s unable to stop smiling, either.


	2. 1.

This is definitely not his bed anymore. For one, the ground is a lot harder than a mattress, for two, the air circulating isn’t electrical. Tommy’s staring up at the sky, blinking in confusion. Come to think of it, he doesn’t even remember going to bed last night. He’d been spending time with Wilbur and Phil, with Phil giving him strange looks the whole time.

Did Phil have anything to do with this?

Tommy pushes that thought out of his mind. He knows Phil is as protective of him as he is of Techno and Wilbur, so it wouldn’t make sense for Phil to kidnap Tommy and drag him to the middle of a forest.

Tommy rubs his face as he sits up slowly, grimacing at the wave of dizziness that washes over him. He’s not okay, but he’s not panicking. Yet. It’s more important for him to gather his bearings and find out where he is first before he latches onto that panic.

The problem is, after rummaging through his pockets, Tommy realizes that he’s empty-handed. He’s left with nothing but the clothes on his back, and...a glance to the ground tells him a headset. Why there is a headset laying on the ground next to him is beyond him, but if that’s something that’ll help him, he’ll take it.

For the moment, Tommy ignores the device as he looks around. He’s surrounded by what looks like birch trees, and in the distance, what looks like an open field. He has no idea what any of this is supposed to mean, other than he’s alone and has no way to contact anyone in the outside world.

Bending down to grab the headset, Tommy leans against the nearest tree, trying to fight the urge to scream. He has to wonder what Phil is thinking, feeling, or anything else. Is Phil worried? Does he know where his kids are? Does he even _care?_

_**Stop that, of course he cares.** _

Tommy pushes away from the tree, sucking in a deep breath. He can’t afford to let emotions take over right now. There’s no way he’s alone; someone wouldn’t just kidnap him and drop him off in the middle of the wilderness without sticking close by to watch over him. The headset says as much, too.

He turns the device over in his hands, frowning. It’s an ordinary, black headset that fits over his ears. There’s a mic attached to it, presumably for speaking to whomever may be listening on the other side.

That still doesn’t answer the question of _who_ might be on the other side. Tommy’s almost afraid to put it on, but curiosity is also starting to win out over the fear. He’s _Tommy_ , he has no reason to be afraid!

The headset is slipped on, and Tommy’s gaze glances over the scenery. There’s nothing but silence, and he wonders if he missed a switch to turn the headset on. 

“Hello?”

Tommy nearly jumps at the sound of the voice coming through. It’s nice to know he doesn’t have to flip a switch, but…

“Tommy? You’re awake, how’re you feeling?”

“Who is this?” Tommy asks. He instinctively scrunches up his face in irritation, as if that can mask the annoyance leaking through his voice. “Where even am I, what’s going on?”

“That’s not important right now Tommy.” The voice is far too gentle for this kind of situation, and Tommy wishes he had a weapon on him. He’d love nothing more than to smack the mysterious person in the face. “What’s important is that this is a speedrun. You’re being hunted, and I won’t say by who. Just take the rules of speedrunning and apply them to this situation.”

“Wait, wait wait wait.” Tommy brushes a stray hair out of his face as he approaches the second nearest tree, staring at the bark. “This is _speedrunning?_ What the fuck, you can’t just drop me into the middle of a speedrun and expect me to know what’s going on!”

“Your training begins now, Tommy.”

“Hold on, don’t leave me!” His voice rises in pitch as he finally starts letting the panic set in. Frantically, he punches at the tree, trying to strip any wood he can grab with his bare hands. This is _difficult_ when he has no idea where to even begin. “No one told me I was doing a speed run! No one told me I was being _**hunted**_! What the fuck is this, an episode of _Manhunters versus Speedrunner?_ ”

“That’s exactly what this is.” The voice on the other side chuckles. It’s not a vicious one, but a more good-natured sort of laugh. It’s enough to give Tommy pause. “Don’t worry, nothing serious is going to happen to you. We just know you’re going to make it. That’s why we picked you.”

“Wait.” Tommy resumes picking at the tree until he’s got a sturdy enough base to start crafting some basic wood tools. He’s starting to recognize the voice on the other end. “Wait, I know who you are.”  
“Uh, are you sure about that?” The voice chuckles again. “You might still be disoriented. You did just wake up.”

“Sapnap, is that you?” Once those words are out of his mouth, Tommy feels a wave of relief. It has to be Sapnap; there’s no way he’d let anything happen to Tommy. That also brings to mind the thought that if Sapnap is talking to him, then the others on his team may not be too far off either.

Tommy isn’t currently focused on that.

“Yeah, it’s me. You never answered me earlier, by the way. How’re you feeling?” He’s trying so hard to sound gentle, soothing, and very much like a _friend_. Tommy should feel that relief still, he should feel safe, but instead, the question has the opposite effect of what Sapnap intended.

“How the fuck do you _think_ I’m feeling?” Tommy snaps. “I’m in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but this stupid ugly headset, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing or where I’m even going! You know what this is, Sap? This is _bullying_. You are a bully and you are ugly.”

“Whoa, Tommy, chill, it’s okay.” Sapnap sounds defensive, and Tommy partially feels bad. It may not be Sapnap’s fault he’s in this situation. Then again, Sapnap is the one talking to him over the headset right now. Of course Tommy’s going to be pissed. “Tommy, I promise it’s all going to be okay. You just need to stay calm. We won’t-”

“No, I take that back. You are a _pussy_. You know what you are, Sapnap? You’re weird. You and your entire team of _bandits_ are weird and...this is off-putting. This is bizarre, and insane! I am sixteen, have you considered that, Sapnap? Have you considered that before dragging me out of my home and dropping me off in the middle of this…where even am I?”

Sapnap sighs heavily. It’s a sound that grates Tommy’s ears, but he fights back the urge to chuck the headset up into the leaves. It’s his only connection to the world around him, and as strange as this entire situation is right now, Tommy’s not willing to let go of that; he doesn’t want to face the reality that he’s actually alone.

“It’s a training ground,” Sapnap says, sounding resigned. “You know how we have access to high-class technology, build specifically for our team and for tournaments and championships, in order for us to perfect our skills.”

“You sound like some sort of drone,” Tommy mutters. “I’m not interested in some stupid ad here, I want to go _home_. I bet you’re homeless. Where do you even live?”

“This isn’t about me right now,” Sapnap protests. “I’m trying to help you. Do you know how to speed run?”

Tommy splutters in surprise, spinning around as if trying to find a hidden camera. Surely there must be some nearby. There’s no way they’re not watching him. “What kind of question even is that? Are you stupid or something? Do you even realize who you’re talking to? I’m _Tommyinnit_ , big man. I helped my team in the last championship. I’m a _winner_. I even beat you!”

“Of course you are, Tommy. This is why you’re here, because we know you’re a winner.” Sapnap’s back to sounding gentle, soothing. _Reassuring_. Tommy feels something well up in his gut, a sort of sick feeling. He clings onto that feeling as he lifts up the wooden axe and pickaxe he’d just finished making, leaving the crafting table behind. He gathers some more wood, focusing more on the sound of Sapnap’s breathing. It’s keeping him from screaming in fear, but it’s not keeping his spiraling thoughts at bay.

Something isn’t right.

Why is Sapnap talking to him alone?

There’s more going on than he initially realized. He plays the entire conversation back in his mind, going over every word he can remember, every inflection, but...

“Hey, Sapnap, can I ask you something?” Tommy’s voice comes out a little colder than he intends for it to. His hands are shaking as he clutches the wood in his hands, trying his best to strip the bark and pile the pieces as he gathers leaves, using those and bits of twig to make a shoddy backpack.

“Sure, you can ask anything, Tommy. That’s why I’m here.”

“Why is it just you talking to me? Where’s the rest of your team?” Tommy tests the durability of his makeshift sack, before piling the wood pieces inside and slinging it over his shoulder. He’d rather have an actual bag, but if he can find a cow, he'll be able to have leather to have something more solid. For now, leaves and twigs seem to be holding together nicely enough. He moves on, trying to spot any water source or exposed stone.

There’s a long pause before Sapnap answers. “They’re around here somewhere.” Sapnap’s voice is far too light for such an important question. Tommy isn’t sure he buys it. He doesn’t stop moving though, because now he’s looking over his shoulder.

If Sapnap is hedging on this question, then there’s definitely more he’s hiding. Tommy doesn’t like it, he feels he has a right to know more about this situation than Sapnap is giving him. If he’s been placed here, it has to be for a reason, and Tommy wants more to go off of than ‘it’s a speed run.’

“Fuck this speed run,” Tommy grumbles. There’s a bit of mountain side not too far from his location, maybe he could head there and try mining stone out. It’d do him a lot better to have something more solid than wood. Wood is valuable, but there’s only so much Tommy can do with it. He’d rather have stone to better defend himself. Or even better, iron.

“What was that, Tommy? I didn’t quite hear you.”

“Do you need to clean your ears out?” Tommy bites. “Do you need to have a bit of a wash? Because I don’t know how to be any clearer. I said _'fuck this speed run'_ , and fuck you. I’m Tommyinnit, I don’t need this, not from you, not from anyone!”

“You need to calm down,” Sapnap says. He’s once again trying to pull away from the argument and sounding reassuring, but Tommy’s coming to hate that tone of voice. “You’re going to be okay, we’re-”

“See, there you go, using _‘we_ ’ again. I know you’re not sitting in this forest or mountainside with me, which means you’re not alone!”

“I never said I was alone. I did say the others are around.”

“Sapnap, I need you to understand something.” Tommy chips away at the stone, setting the pieces in a small pile to the right of him. “I need you to listen to me. Are you listening?”

“Yes, Tommy.” There’s a lilt in Sapnap’s voice. “I’m listening.”

“Shut up, I didn’t give you permission to speak. I reckon I could fight you. You’re a big pussy, can’t even face me like a man. Here I am, sat chipping at stone. I’m mining, Sap. Do you see this? I’m mining, and you’re sat in...where are you?”

“I’m around.”

“Is Dream with you?”

“....Dream’s around too.”

“Fuck you, you’re old.” Tommy lets out a snort. He’s still angry, but this banter is easier to deal with than exploding in frustration. At least he’s getting somewhere; he could probably use this tiny section of ground as a temporary shelter. “Where is Dream anyway? I don’t want to hear _‘around’_ because I don’t believe you. You are a liar and a cheat, and I could beat you to death with this pickaxe.”

“You’d have to find me first,” Sapnap retorts playfully. Tommy really does wish he could beat him. “You should watch your own back more, you _are_ being hunted after all.”

“Oh yeah? By who? And how do I know Dream isn’t already watching me?” The next chip at stone reveals bits of coal, which helps lift his mood some. He gathers the coal in a separate pile, even taking a moment to set twigs down by the coal. He continues mining, hoping to gather more coal and stone. If he can make torches, he’ll be set by nightfall.

“Wait, what? What does Dream have to do with you being hunted?”

“He’s watching me, isn’t he? There are hidden cameras around this entire area, and you’re watching me and Dream’s watching me. Don’t _lie_ to me Sapnap, I’ve heard enough of your bullshit in the past hour alone.”

“Tommy, you just have to trust-”

“Liar! Sapnap is a liar! I’m not moving from this spot until you’re honest with me.” Tommy makes good on his word and plants down, sitting cross-legged. He sets his pickaxe down in front of him and stares straight ahead. “I’ll even take off the headset, Sap. So then you won’t get to talk to me at all.”

“Tommy, you’re in an active training zone, you need to focus, please.”

“No, I don’t want to. See, I’m tired. I think I’ll have a nap.” Tommy makes a show of leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. He even fakes a yawn for good measure. It’s working, he can hear Sapnap’s frustrated noises on the other side. Tommy can even hear the sound of rustling papers and thumping, which tells him Sapnap definitely isn’t in the forest, but probably some type of office.

“Okay, fine.” There’s more thudding noises, and Tommy lets himself believe it’s Sapnap facepalming. It's funnier to imagine. “You’re right, Dream is watching. I can’t tell you if he’s here or there, but he’s definitely watching, and most certainly hearing this conversation. Can you please get up and get back to work?”

“See? Telling the truth isn’t so hard.” Tommy makes another big show, this time of getting to his feet, gathering up his belongings again, and heading away from the wall. This time, he’s picking a random direction, not entirely sure where he’s going. “I also don’t want to talk to you anymore. Can I turn this off?”

“No, unfortunately you’re stuck with me.” Sapnap sounds tired, or done. Tommy can’t tell what inflection means what yet, but he’s not focused on that right now. He’s aimlessly wandering for the moment, but now he’s paranoid.

If Dream is watching, it means Tommy has to try extra hard to prove himself. He’s always looked up to Dream, always wanted to impress him. But there’s that same, twisted and sick sort of feeling in his gut, leaving him feeling emptier than before.

“Sapnap, if I’m stuck talking to you, I just want you to know that I’m the big man in charge,” Tommy says. He’s trying to play it off, to sound cool. It’s all he knows how to do. He’s not ready for this, he’s not ready to do something when he has no clue how to begin in the first place.

“Tommy, I don’t...you’re not...I mean. Whatever. If you say so.”

“See? I’m the big man in charge, and you’re just a moron. I am going to be as annoying as possible from now on, and we’ll be best friends.”

There’s a desert not too far away from where he’s standing. Tommy heads off in that direction, deciding to try and push the negative thoughts out of his mind. Maybe if he’s annoying, one of two things will happen.

One, they’ll get tired of him and call this off early. He half hopes for that, as it means he’ll get to go home. The downside is that he’ll lose his chance to impress Dream, and that thought fills him with a separate level of anxiety.

Or two, he’ll eventually win the entire team over. Option two is far more preferable, and with that, Tommy _can’t_ lose. So, being annoying is the only choice.

Tommy straightens his back. Regardless, he’s in for one hell of an adventure now, he’d better get busy.


	3. 2.

The hub this morning, while still bustling with activity, is far more quiet than normal. The team can hear people wandering up and down the hallways, joking with each other while complaining about how tired they are. It’s a usual day for most of them, but the _Dream Team_ had been camped out in their own office overnight to watch the cameras and keep an eye on Tommy. Sapnap is seated in his usual position in front of the cameras, headset already in place as he tries to reach out to the person in question. Bad’s clutching the back of the chair, nervously peering at the screens. He’s been watching Tommy for the past twenty minutes, torn between walking away or screaming at the camera feed. It’s hard for him to watch Tommy make iron pickaxe after iron pickaxe.

“Does he even know how to speedrun?” Bad asks. He straightens himself up and taps idly at Sapnap’s head, much to the latter’s irritation. “He’s like, preparing too much; I don’t think he even needs all that iron. He doesn’t even have _food!"_

“He knows how to speedrun,” Sapnap says. “I know he does, Tommy isn’t stupid.” Sapnap ducks forward to pull away from Bad’s fingers, but starts tapping at the desk when Bad doesn’t get the hint. It’s easy enough to ignore Bad when he’s in this kind of move, and Sapnap would rather focus on the scene playing out in front of them. 

“Yeah, but it doesn’t seem like it right now.” Bad finally pulls away from the chair, pressing the palms of his hands together instead, as he paces back and forth. “It’s driving me up a _wall_ to watch this. I want to be able to help somehow.”

“He’s got to do this on his own,” George pipes up. He enters the room, holding a plate of food. “This was the condition we all agreed on while taking him.”

“Yeah, but _Tommy_ didn’t agree,” Bad points out. “This hardly seems fair, it’s like we’re all ganging up on him when he probably is still disoriented and confused.” 

“It’s not like we did anything to him.” Sapnap lets out a snort as he swivels around in his chair to face Bad. “We just took him and dropped him off. See? He’s completely fine.” He jerks a thumb toward the feed to reveal an angry looking Tommy. Tommy is swearing loudly while chucking an iron bar at his furnace.

“That doesn’t look fine to me,” Bad says hesitantly. “I dunno, it’s making me feel bad just watching him. Are we sure he’s the right choice? Does Dream actually know what he’s doing?”

“I trust Dream,” George says. “We don’t have to understand Dream to support him. He’s been a great team lead for a long time.”

“I mean, I guess.” Bad shrugs, letting his arms dangle limply. “I just have a weird feeling about Tommy. He’s so young and I’m worried about inexperience. He hasn’t been in very many competitions.” He moves back toward the desk, but stops when he gets a whiff of George’s food. “Is there any of that left?”

“Yeah, over in the break room,” George says. “There’s a lot of food there, help yourself.” George ducks his head to take a forkful of food. “You could definitely use something to distract yourself, you seem more worked up than normal.”

“I shouldn’t eat.” Bad lets out a sigh as he moves back to stand behind the chair. He’s tapping on the head rest, staring at the cameras. “I think…”

“That’s annoying, stop tapping my chair.” Sapnap inches forward to get away from Bad. “What are you thinking?”

“What if I went there to show Tommy the ropes? I know you’re all saying Tommy’s good and has the potential to win, but he looks like he’s really struggling with backpack space and focus. I don’t think he actually knows how to speed run.”

“Is that why you don’t want food?” George asks. Bad ignores him.

There’s a crackle of static that pops up at that moment, causing the three men to jump. They turn toward the mic sitting next to the monitors, with Sapnap raising an eyebrow. _"I think I can offer perspective."_ Dream’s voice is just as staticky as the feedback, as if he doesn’t have much signal on him. _“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, and I do want to remind you all that inexperience aside, he did get one up on me. I’m no god tier player, but I know I am good, and I’d hardly call Tommy a novice.”_

“Plus, I’m pretty sure with Phil and Techno as his family members, he’s bound to have some training,” George adds. “I doubt they’d raise anyone who didn’t have some semblance of skill.”

“Okay but hear me out,” Bad says, holding up his hands. “Maybe what you’re all saying is correct, and Tommy’s a lot better than I’m giving him credit for. But in his defense, we didn’t give him any heads up, we just dropped him -while asleep- in the middle of a forest and expected him to immediately know what to do. Dream, what if I went down there and helped him?”

“Wait, Dream. Where even are you?” Sapnap interrupts. “I thought you were in town. Why do you sound like you’re in the middle of nowhere?”

 _"Where I am isn’t important."_ Dream sounds cryptically giddy. _"This isn’t about me, this is about Tommy. And I’m okay with any help you want to offer, but George is in charge of the teleportation in and out of the training grounds. You’ll have to talk to him about going out into the field.”_

The line goes quiet after that. Bad wants to ask the other two what their theories are, but he also doesn’t want to be a nuisance. He’s already too focused on Tommy right now to worry about Dream, and he’s already turning to George, pressing his index fingers to his lips as he grins. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” George mutters, trying not to snicker. “If you think you can offer advice in person, be my guest. I just don’t think Tommy’s going to be in the mood to listen. He already gave Sapnap a hard time.” 

“He hasn’t talked to me in almost two hours,” Sapnap adds helpfully. “Every time I try to ask how he’s doing, he acts like he’s spitting on the ground, or he calls me a bitch. I can’t get anything else out of him.”

 _“Oy, dickhead! I can still hear you!”_ Tommy’s voice is shrill and faint on the cameras, but Bad can hear him through Sapnap’s headset as well. He can’t hold back the giggle that slips out as Sapnap flinches, grabbing at the headset and tugging it off. 

“Tommy, chill out! It’s fine, it’s _fine_. Be calm.”

_“You are a bitch, Sapnap. You and your entire team.”_

“You won’t feel that way forever,” Sapnap says softly. “I promise.”

 _“You’re all a bunch of bullies who kidnapped a child! I haven’t forgotten this, and I never will. You’re lucky my dad backed you up, otherwise I’d take this sword and ram it through your guts!”_

“Language, Tommy,” Bad chides gently. “Hey guess what? I’m going to join you soon!” 

_“Bitch. You’re a bitch too. You **muffin bitch**.”_

Tommy falls quiet after that, and they can see him turning back toward his furnace to shove more coal in it. Bad’s gaze lingers on Tommy, taking note of the teen’s posture. The way Tommy’s shoulders are hunched and tensed tells him that even though Tommy sounds like he’s having fun banter, he really does seem pissed and stressed.

“Bad? You still want to go?” George brings him back to reality, his gaze snapping toward the man. Bad nods wordlessly, before setting his belongings down on the desk by Sapnap. “You don’t have to leave your phone and wallet here.” 

“All I need is a headset, right?” Bad grins. “I can’t teach Tommy properly if I’m not going in empty handed myself. Neither of us will learn otherwise.”

George grins as he jerks his head toward the door. “Come on then. Let’s get you down there.” He exits the office, leaving Sapnap alone to watch the camera feeds. 

Bad sighs heavily as he follows George down the hall, taking a glance around the walls and general scenery. The people they pass by give him polite smiles before hurrying on their way. The building is starting to pick up in activity and general life, and announcements over the intercoms are starting up. Bad can’t say he’s excited to leave it for the middle of nowhere, but on the flip note, it’ll be good to get away from the noise; the quiet will help him focus more.

He pushes all his thoughts of his head when they reach the central terminal. Most of the portals are offline, leaving only the sporadic training grounds open. Among those portals is the _Manhunters_ team training grounds. With a sideways glance at George, Bad grabs a headset off the wall and places it on his head, underneath his hood. 

“You’ll tell Skeppy where I went, right?” 

“Skeppy is probably off being best friends with Technoblade somewhere,” George points out bluntly. “But yeah, if he calls for you, I’ll tell him you’re training Tommy personally.”

Bad rolls his eyes. “Whatever you say George. See you on the cameras.” He doesn’t wait for a response before stepping through the portal, letting himself disappear from the hub entirely, landing in the training spawn.

Now to find Tommy.

  


* * *

  


Along the way, Bad had stopped to gather some food. He’d done it with his bare hands, which had taken a little longer than he’d wanted to, but at least he has a few uncooked steaks on him when he finally does meet up with Tommy. 

Tommy is still trying to build a dirt home, mixing bits of cobblestone into it. Bad watches him for a moment before moving closer, not wanting to startle him. “Hey Tommy…” He wears the most welcoming smile on his face that he can muster up, and he holds the beef out as a peace offering. “I wanted to offer some help.”

Tommy turns to face him, wearing a glare on his face. He looks Bad up and down before his gaze lands on the beef in Bad’s hands. With a lifted eyebrow, Tommy reaches out to take the meat from Bad. He pulls back, then shoots another glare before putting the meat in the furnace.

Bad stands there awkwardly, rocking back and forth on his heels. Tommy isn’t saying anything to him, but Bad isn’t saying anything either. He can hear distant chatter over his headset, and he knows he’s hearing the same things Tommy is, and for once, Bad doesn’t know how to break the silence. He supposes he can offer help, again. 

“Tommy?”

“Bad, do not talk to me. I do not speak with bitches.” Tommy turns his back on him, swinging his pickaxe against the furnace in use. Bad winces at the loud clang before taking a small step forward, reaching out in an attempt to pry the pickaxe from Tommy. 

“Language, please, and don’t beat on the poor furnace. It didn’t do anything to you.”

“Would you rather I strike you instead?” Tommy asks heatedly. “Because I’ll be honest here, I want to murder you, and then camp your respawn point and do it all over again. But that would be against the rules, so I’ll just destroy this furnace instead.”

“We don’t really have rules against PvP,” Bad says, backing up. “This is training, so anything you want to do would work. I just want to make sure you’re eating.” He nods toward the furnace. “When’s the last time you ate?”

“Don’t patronize me,” Tommy snaps. “Don’t humor me because you’re trying to play nice. You’re just mad because I’m better than you. I’m practically a _god_ here, and none of you pussies can handle that. That’s why I’ve been stuck here against my will, trying to figure out what the hell I’m even supposed to be _doing_. I’m so tired of hearing _speedrun_. I don’t know what that means in this context. What am I even doing this for?”

“You weren’t told?” Bad freezes in place as the implications sink in. Surely Tommy was told why he was brought here instead of being left in the dark. Sapnap had been the one in contact with Tommy the most over the past twenty-four hours. Bad swivels around, staring at a tree as he adjusts his headset. “Hey, Sapnap?”

 _“I told him!”_ Sapnap protests. _“I told him why he was here! I know I did.”_

“Tell me _**what?**_ You haven’t told me a damned thing!” Bad feels himself being whirled around to face Tommy. “ _You’re doing a speedrun, Tommy. You’re being hunted, Tommy._ What am I training for, what the hell is going on, and why are you keeping it a big fucking secret?”

“Oh.” Bad feels his heart sink. All this time, he’d been under the impression Tommy had known why he’d been singled out among everyone else. No wonder Tommy’s mad at them. “Tommy I’m so sorry. I thought Sapnap told you-” 

_“Don’t throw me under the bus. Oh my god, Dream is going to **murder** me!”_

Bad ignores Sapnap as he drags a hand down his face. “Tommy, Dream wants to recruit you. He sees potential in you, and we all agreed that with proper training, you’d get even better at your skills and help us win in the next tournament. I’m so sorry we didn’t tell you sooner.”

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Tommy says, pulling the now cooked food out of the furnace. “So you drugged me-” 

_“Whoaaaaa,”_ Sapnap cuts in, speaking rapidly. It’s hard to see facial expressions through voice alone, but Bad wagers that Sapnap is panicking. _“We never drugged you. You’re just a heavy sleeper. Don’t accuse us of being creeps.”_

“So why’d you ask how I was feeling when I woke up? Hmm?” Tommy, however, is squinting, lips curled downward. His narrowed gaze is once again aimed at Bad. Unconsciously, he steps further back, out of striking range. Tommy is holding that pickaxe rather firmly...

 _“I don’t know! Because you seemed really out of it? I was worried about you? Believe it or not Tommy, we actually like you. We didn’t mean to scare you.”_ There’s a thunk that comes from his end, followed by a _‘shit, my drink-’_

Bad nods enthusiastically, holding his hands up as he tries to offer a placating smile. Already, he’s feeling better about the situation, happy that this is all finally coming to light. He hopes Tommy is feeling better too, but it’s hard to tell when Tommy’s facial expression constantly seems angry anymore.

“So you _didn’t_ drug me,” Tommy continues. “You just told me I was supposed to speedrun and that I’m being hunted, and then somewhere in between you let slip that my dad helped you in all this. I’ve been panicked and scared, all because...you wanted to _recruit_ me?”

Bad slouches forward, letting his arms dangle at his sides. While he feels relieved, there’s clearly more to come; Tommy sounds too calm right now. Considering how angry he’d been previously, there’s no way Tommy is going to accept this. Apprehension fills his gut, and he idly fishes around his pockets for his phone. If only he could call Skeppy, Skeppy would help him through this. 

Bad’s fears are proven correct a second later. “You’re all assholes!” Tommy snarls. _There it is._ “You can’t talk to me normally, so you resorted to kidnapping me for some stupid initiation thing. Did you all do this when you recruited each other or did you all mutually agree to this? Bad, you’re here, so come here. Come a little closer, I’m going to kill you now.”

“Tommy, please.” Bad immediately backs up again, pressing his back to a tree. “Tommy, I’m here to help you. I promise, I just want to help. We can get you through this and back home. Okay? Will you let me show you the ropes?”

“Only if you swear for me.”

“I’m not going to swear for you. Let’s uh...let’s get some food in you first, and I’ll finish helping you build your...house?”

“Yes Bad-Boy-Halo, this is my house. I need shelter from the creepers and skeletons, do I not? Say bitch.” 

Bad lets out a high-pitched nervous giggle before gathering the excess iron, just for something to do, and to keep some distance from Tommy. “You don’t need all this, it’ll only slow you down. Please eat.”

Tommy grumbles under his breath as he takes a bite out of the steak. “I want to hear you say bitch just once. Or call yourself a pussy. If you do that, then I’ll consider letting you help me. Even _fuck_. I’ll take anything you’re willing to throw out. Consider it a favor, for me. You know, since you kidnapped me and all.”

“I’m not swearing. I’ll help you build your house, and after you eat, I’ll help you speedrun properly. We can have Sapnap time us later, too.” There’s a faint _‘yeah!’_ from Sapnap at that, which goes ignored. Bad makes a mental note to ask Sapnap later how he’s feeling with all this.

“No no, I’m not accepting that.” Tommy at least sounds happier. Bad wonders if it’s because Tommy feels better about the situation, or if he’s just happy to have company he can bully. 

_No_. There’s no way this is bullying; he has to remember that Tommy is lashing out, he’s not actually trying to be a menace. With a deep breath, Bad attempts to relax his stance and appear more friendly.

Tommy continues. “See, you all owe me. Since I can’t do anything about Sapnap right now, I can do something with you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you dancing around me, by the way. You’re scared of me, as you should be.” Tommy looks a little too smug for Bad’s comfort. “I want you to call Sapnap a pussy. Because he is. He spent a full day crying over the headset about how we’re friends and I’m supposed to be forgiving, but no. Bad, call him a pussy.”

“I’m not calling him names.” Bad frowns as he kicks one of the spare pickaxes away. “Can I have a steak please? I’m a little hungry myself.”

“I heard you over the headset. George offered you food, and you turned him down, like an asshole. You don’t get to eat _my_ steak. You brought this for me, so it’s mine. If you want to help, then you build the rest of my shelter. Use cobblestone, and call Sapnap a bitch.”

Bad falls silent as he gets to work. He’ll just scrounge up his own food later. It’s not like he’s super hungry right now anyway. His own good mood is fading though, and the realization of being in over his head is starting to sink in. 

They’d questioned Dream at the beginning if he was sure about Tommy, and Dream had made a convincing case before. But now, Bad isn’t so sure. Tommy might be good in tournaments, but he’s definitely lacking in people skills.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all, not if his patience is going to be tested at every turn.

At least there’s cobblestone ready for building.


	4. 3.

“Okay, so let’s try this again from the beginning,” Bad says as he dumps all the excess items into a hole. “You were paying attention, right?” There’s iron, excess dirt, excess cobblestone, and even food being dropped down. He wants Tommy to really understand, and the less items they start off with, the better off they’ll be. He even wears a smile as he turns to face Tommy, who’s only armed with a single block of wood. Bad had allowed Tommy to keep a few iron ingots on him, feeling bad over everything that happened previous to now.

“Yes, yes, I got it. You’ve repeated yourself three times now,” Tommy says with exasperation. He doesn’t look too frazzled though, but he’s staring down at the discarded items. He almost looks like he’s ready to grab them, so as a precaution, Bad grabs a single dirt block and places it over the hole. “Oh come on Bad, I wasn’t. You know what? You’re still a dick. I know how to speedrun, you don’t have to _baby_ me.”

“I’m just making sure!” Bad kicks at the dirt before clearing his throat. “Okay, so I’m going to have Sapnap use a timer, and I’ll give you the go time and end time. You’ll have-” 

“Wait, hold on here, are we starting already? I’m not ready! What do I have to do?”

“No no, it’s okay Tommy.” Bad points to the wood block in Tommy’s hands. “You can start with that and the iron I left you. It’ll be okay. I want you to craft an iron set of tools within ten minutes. It’ll be easy to start, just remember to only get what you think you need, and nothing more.”

“I mean, if you’re sure.” Tommy sucks in a deep breath as he rocks on his heels, turning to face a different direction. “Wait, where do I go? Are you chasing me?”

“No, I won’t be chasing you. We’re timing you this round.”

“So all that stuff about me being hunted before, was that a lie? Am I still being hunted?”

“You know, I don’t really know.” Bad shrugs. “You were supposed to be, but I don’t know what happened with that. Maybe the hunting part is taking a break so we can focus on your timing.” He steps back to give Tommy room before tapping at his headset. “Sapnap?”

_“Don’t worry, I’m on it. Tommy, I’m starting the timer right now. Ten minutes, go.”_

There’s a faint beep that sounds, and then Tommy is jumping to action. Bad has to hand it to the kid, when Tommy gets focused on something, he doesn’t seem to argue the point. He’s actually getting to work, punching out wood and making a crafting table. It’s at this point Tommy starts to slow. Bad doesn’t say anything, he’s just watching quietly. He’s aware that Sapnap and George are probably watching over the cameras as well, but he doesn’t bother asking for them.

There’s a wooden pickaxe now, followed by a wooden axe. Bad doesn’t really see why Tommy needs the axe, but at least materials aren’t being wasted.

“Oh, wait.” Tommy stops right after he moves away from the table. “I meant to craft sticks, I didn’t mean to make an axe. What am I even doing? Bad, why didn’t you stop me? This is all your fault, you know.”

“Oh, sure, okay.” Bad snorts, shaking his head. Tommy’s tossing the axe to the side and quickly making more sticks, before heading over to the bottom of the cliff towering over the pair. “Remember, you only have ten minutes.”

“Shut up, stop it, I know.” Tommy shoots a quick glare in Bad’s direction before beginning to mine away at the stone. He digs a small hole, already finding coal, before digging down. At least he’s moving quickly. “Hey Bad, can you just say fuck once for me?”

“Language.”

“Sorry.”

There’s a silence that falls over the both of them as Tommy mines deeper into his hole, and deeper underground. Bad remains on the surface as he stares at the hole, watching as a faint light flickers inside. Tommy must’ve found coal to make torches. He taps his fingers impatiently against the stone, wondering how much time is actually left.

_“Five minutes, Tommy. How’re you doing?”_

“Sapnap, can I punch you in the face just once?” Comes Tommy’s reply. “Just once, just to see how you like it. Maybe twice if _I_ like it. Maybe Dream will even point and laugh. See, he likes me a lot more than he likes you.”

_“Punching me isn’t nice, Tommy. Stay focused, okay?”_

“Shut up. I’m coming back up. Wait, shit, I’m l..wait, no. No, shut up. I know exactly where I am. Techno taught me how to be the ‘Uman GPS, you know. He’s my _brother.”_

“We just want to make sure you’re staying on task,” Bad says gently. “We know you’re capable otherwise. You haven’t updated us on your progress.”

“I don’t have to update anyone. I don’t have to say shit about anything. I know exactly what I’m doing, I know how to speed run. You’re all just pussies who can’t handle the big man anymore.”

At least Tommy no longer sounds like he’s in a bad mood. Bad would have to consider this progress. Unless Tommy is getting better at hiding it. Then again, he does seem a little more willing to listen and stick to tasks, maybe. It’s hard to tell what he’s doing when he’s down a hole with only five minutes to spare.

“Tommy, what’s your progress?” Bad pushes. “I don’t want to see you run out of time with only stone to your name.”

“I’m making my way back up, Bad. Christ, you’re so _naggy._ Has anyone ever mentioned that you nag too much?”

“That’s a little harsh, Tommy.” Bad rubs his forehead as he closes his eyes. He’s not going to let Tommy’s words get to him.

“I’m just saying what we’re all thinking man. Oh, whoops, I don’t want to slip down there, that looks like a big hole.” 

“Are you alright down there?” Bad isn’t sure if he should rush down to try and find Tommy or remain on the surface. Probably best to stay up here.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine, Bad. I’m making my way back up to the surface. Are you still stood by there?” 

“Yeah, I haven’t left. I’m waiting for you to come back up. Are you sure you’re okay?”

_“Two minutes.”_

“I’m coming! Just hang on, both of you!” Tommy sounds almost out of breath, as if he’s rushing. It’s a few seconds before Bad hears dull thudding on the stone below, followed by Tommy rushing back out into fresh air with an arm full of iron ingots. “It’s not time yet. Sapnap, don’t you dare call time. I can still craft them just-”

He cuts himself off, running back toward his crafting table and dropping the iron down. He grabs more wood, turning it into sticks, and then slapping the iron onto the sticks to form tools. 

_“Three, two one. Tommy, it’s time.”_

“Done!” Tommy stands back proudly, beckoning Bad forward. “A set of iron tools Bad. Pickaxe, axe, sword, shovel. Done. Look, see? I’m a big man, I got so much stuff done in ten minutes. I know how to manage myself. I’m _awesome.”_

Bad claps, unable to wipe the smile from his face. “You did great Tommy! I was honestly worried you wouldn’t make it in time, but you actually pulled it off.”

“I can’t believe you doubted me. You’re such an asshole.” Tommy huffs as he picks up the axe and starts mining away at the trees. “So what are we doing now? Am I going to have to mine for more iron?” 

“No no no, hey, Tommy, you don’t need more wood. We’re not hoarding items. What I want you to do now is to go find food. We’re going to push forward. Take the craft-” 

“Why can’t I take the wood? What if I need it?” 

Bad steps forward, pressing his hand to Tommy’s arm to pull the axe away from the tree. “Easy, Tommy. You can always get more wood later when you need it. The point of a speed run is to keep a minimal inventory, because you want to constantly be on the go. You get it?”

“Ooh, yeah, yeah. Bad, there’s a desert over there. Do you reckon we could find a village or a temple in there?” Tommy points off in the direction of the desert. “I was going to head over there earlier, but then you all started yelling over the headset and giving me a headache. It was pissing me off, you know. I wanted to stab shit.”

“First off, you can try being a little nicer. We already apologized for what happened.” Bad doesn’t push the issue after that, figuring it’s just Tommy being his usual self. He has to remind himself that Tommy probably still does hold some resentment, and he’s within his rights to feel that way. He decides to address the exploration though. “It wouldn’t hurt to go check out the desert though. I can keep you on task, and we can pretend someone’s hunting us down.” Bad follows where Tommy’s pointing. “Could pretend Dream is hunting you.”

“Where has Dream been anyway? I haven’t heard from him at all. He’s not abandoned you, has he?” Tommy starts walking, but turns around to face Bad as he speaks. He’s wearing a concerned expression on his face that almost seems to hide a smile. “I’m your new leader, aren’t I?”

Bad laughs. “No Tommy, you’re not the new team lead. You’re not even on the team. We want you though, we just have to make sure you’re focused.”

“I bet I’m more focused than all of you combined,” Tommy brags. “I got a full set of iron tools in ten minutes. Just as you wanted. Bet none of you can do that.” He laughs at his own comment. Bad has to admit, Tommy is carrying himself a little taller. Still shorter than Bad by a couple of feet, but he’s standing straighter and looking pleased with himself. Bad feels some sort of strange affection for the kid, wondering if praise is all Tommy really needs. He does seem to respond rather well to it.

“I bet so too,” Bad says absently. He motions for Tommy to turn around and walk forward, which he does. “What else do you want training in, other than speedrunning? Because we could do a lot more once we’re done here.”

“I’m _excellent_ in Sky Battle,” Tommy replies proudly. “I kicked Dream’s ass there.”

“We were there, remember?” It’s easy to be perky now. It’s far easier to talk when Tommy isn’t threatening him or swearing at him every few words. “You did great, we were all proud of you.”

“Yeah?” Tommy spins around again. “I was so focused on everything happening, I didn’t think to look for the rest of you. Were you really watching me?”

“Yeah! We all got to see your big moment in person. You were excellent out there.”

“You know what? Maybe you’re not so bad.” Tommy faces forward again, picking up his speed as they enter the desert. Bad tries to shrug off the rise in temperature as he continues to follow. He’s already scanning the horizon for any structures they could potentially run across, but so far, all he’s seeing is sand piles.

“You think so?” Bad asks. “Tommy, are you starting to like me?”

“Ew, no! Bad, _keep it in your pants._ Jesus man, I’m a child.” Tommy’s grinning as he speaks, which makes it clear he’s just teasing. Bad doesn’t feel tense with the joke either. 

“Not like that Tommy,” Bad wheezes. “You’re not bad, for being a teenager. You’re pretty funny.”

“Wait, really?” Tommy looks surprised by that. “You actually think I’m funny?” He slows his step, turning his head to watch as Bad catches up to him. “Usually people tell me to shut up, but they laugh at me at the same time, so I can’t really tell anymore.”

“Yeah, you’re pretty silly,” Bad says with a nod. “I think sometimes you push things too far, but given your age, it’s expected. I don’t mind spending time with you.” He scans the horizon again, before waving his hand vaguely toward the left. “Also, there’s a temple over there.”   
“You should lead the way,” Tommy says. “Make sure there aren’t any traps around. You never know when sand will just fall beneath your feet, and honestly? Better you than me.” He stops walking completely, then beckons for Bad to start walking. 

“This is your training though,” Bad protests. “You should take the lead.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what I’m doing, so I want you to show me the ropes. Go on then.” Tommy shoots him a too-wide smile as he sweeps his arm again. “After you, Badboyhalo.”

“Alright, if you say so.” It’s Bad’s turn to straighten up, walking with a little more _‘pep in his step’_ , as Tommy would say. It’s hard to stay serious and focused when Tommy is being optimistic and funny. He’s definitely growing on Bad.

“Tommy, why don’t you tell me about yourself? I barely know you, and if we’re going to spend time together, I’d like to know a little more about you.” He marches toward the temple, impressed by the size. It’s half buried under sand, but it’s nothing overwhelming. He can easily dig sand out with his bare hands, while leaving Tommy to do most of the heavy lifting. 

In fact, Bad’s already getting to work on clearing out sand and tossing it to the side. 

“Oh, what do you want to know?” Tommy asks. “Just to be clear, are you asking about me, or are you asking about my dad and Techno?”

Bad frowns as he pauses his digging to face Tommy. Tommy’s face is neutral, he’s digging out sandstone and tossing them to the side, much like Bad had done. There’s that same flash of anger that had been in his posture earlier, so Bad quickly shakes his head, realizing that he’s about to tread on some dangerous ground. 

“No, I’m asking about _you_. I love your family, but I want to know more about you. What you’re into, what you like, and what got you interested in competitions and tournaments. What drives TommyInnit?”

“Oh.” There’s a somber tone to Tommy’s voice at the question. “No one’s ever asked about me before.” He swings his pickaxe a little harder than normal. “I like spending time with Wilbur. He likes to play music sometimes, so I like to sit at night and listen to him sing and play his guitar. I like video games too. Simple ones, mostly. Most of my time is either spent in classes or in training.”

“Do you spend a lot of time training? Where do you usually train at?”

“We don’t have our own training grounds. We’re not _rich_ you know.” Tommy shrugs as he mines down the center of the temple. “How many diamonds do you think we’ll find? Ooh, if we find a saddle or horse armor, can I keep it?”

“Careful not to hit the pressure plate at the bottom,” Bad warns. He can’t follow Tommy down; the drop would cause him to respawn too far from Tommy. “And...sure. If you really want a horse, I don’t see why you can’t tame one.” He sits on the edge and looks down, watching Tommy rummage through the chests at the bottom.

“What else do you want to know about me? Are you surprised I like horses? I’m not really a pet person, honestly. Though I can see the appeal behind them. Personally, I’d want a dog.”

“Oh, yeah?” Bad nods, even though Tommy can’t see him. “I have a dog, you know. Her name’s Rat.” 

“You should show me a picture. I want to see what this dog of yours looks like. Also I’m coming up.” 

Bad leans forward into the darkness. Tommy’s making his way back up, and in the singular lighting of the torch Tommy’s holding, Bad can see a smug grin on the boy’s face. “Did you find anything good down there?” Bad asks. 

“Three diamonds, gold horse armor, two emeralds, and lots of wheat. I’m going to assume there’s a village not too far away. Is trading allowed in speed running?” 

“Oh, yeah of course!” Bad gets to his feet, then bends over to hold his hand out. “Let me pull you up the rest of the way. I don’t think we’ll have trouble finding the village. I’m going to see if I can’t pull some strings and get Sapnap-” 

_“I’m going to get yelled at by Dream for helping you.”_

“Oh, don’t worry!” Bad laughs, then makes sure Tommy’s on solid ground. “We’re only training, it’s not anything serious. Can you give us a village please?”

_“I guess. Just as long as you don’t tell Dream. There’s a village about an hour off. I hope the two of you have fun.”_ The line goes dead after he finishes, leaving Tommy and Bad in an awkward silence.

“An hour isn’t...I don’t…” Tommy scowls. He’s clenching his pick axe more tightly in his fists, so Bad just presses his hand to Tommy’s back, hoping to distract him. 

“Tommy, Tommy, hey. Keep telling me about yourself. What else do you do that doesn’t involve championships?”  
Tommy takes a long moment to calm himself. He’s walking though, gaze focused forward, clearly trying to shut Bad out until he gets a hold of himself. Bad is happy to wait until Tommy’s ready to talk.

It’s ten minutes before Tommy’s shoulders finally untense. He exhales, rolling his head from side to side. “Sorry, I didn’t want to swear at you. I just don’t understand the point of this anymore, if I’m just going to have to walk everywhere and not actually make progress in going to The End.”

“That’s fa-....wait. You didn’t want to swear at me?” Bad blinks in surprise. “Since when? You usually can’t wait for a chance to swear at people.”

“Yeah, but you’ve been nice to me lately, and I don’t really want to yell at you because I’m mad at Sapnap.” Tommy shrugs, keeping his gaze downturned. “I also don’t know what else to talk about. I’m the youngest in my family and I have big shoes to fill.”

Tommy’s not joking anymore, he’s not swearing, he’s not even wearing a smile. Bad knows this time Tommy’s good humor is lost. Maybe the novelty of something exciting had finally worn off, leaving a tired teenager in its place. Bad feels bad all over again, but nothing now can help other than some conversation.

“You’re pretty good on your own Tommy. I love seeing you in action.”

“Tell me more about yourself instead.” Tommy nods, while still marching forward. “Tell me about _your_ life, who you spend time with. I daresay you don’t spend a ton of time with your own team, do you?”

“You’d be right. My best friend is Skeppy. I also really like spending time with Antfrost. We like to play pranks on each other, do random things.” 

“Is all your time spent training too? Are you always out here? Or do you have your own training grounds?” Tommy is at least _trying_ to sound more cheerful than he looks. Still, Bad wonders if this was too much. He wonders if Tommy even slept well overnight, or if he’s just pushing himself.

The more Bad stares, the more exhausted he realizes Tommy looks. 

“No, like you I’m not always training. Who’s your closest friend, if not Wilbur?”

“Tubbo and Timedeo, mostly. I spend a lot more time with Tubbo though. He likes to play the piano.” There’s a flicker of a smile on Tommy’s face now. “I bet Tubbo would enjoy being here.”

“You already miss him?” Bad asks. “I didn’t think you were the sentimental type; it’s only been about a day or two.”

The smile drops from Tommy’s face instantly. “Let’s just walk, okay? I don’t feel like talking anymore.”

Bad doesn’t argue. If Tommy’s in a bad mood, he’s not going to push it. He’s probably done too much pushing lately, and he doesn’t want to damage the newly forming bond they have. It’s probably not just Sapnap that’s gotten to Tommy either, but something else.

They spend the next couple of hours finding the village. It’s on the edge of the desert and a savannah, along with a savannah village not too far off, either. It’s a lucky find, but it’s still not enough to snap Tommy out of his funk.

“Bad, can we take a nap?” Tommy asks. “I want to take a break.” He’s already heading for one of the huts. “I think there’s a double bed in here too.”

“Sure, Tommy.” Bad follows him. “You tired? Do you need food?”

“I’m not hungry. I just want to lie down for awhile.” Tommy enters the hut and flops down on one of the beds. He sets all his things down on the floor next to his bed, ignoring as Bad settles on the other bed. He lies down, kicking the blankets to the edge and away from him. 

Bad isn’t quite tired, but he wonders if a nap will help him focus more, too. He pulls his headset off and rests it on the nearest nightstand. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Not really,” comes the muted reply. “I just wanna make them proud.”

How is Bad supposed to respond to that? He continues staring at Tommy’s prone form, long after Tommy’s fallen asleep. That same guilt twists his gut again, but instead of doubting Tommy, he wonders if Tommy has any faith in himself.

He hopes so.


	5. 4.

Bad wakes slowly, not remembering falling asleep in the first place. The blinding light streaming in from the window says it’s sunset, and it has Bad instinctively tugging the blanket over his face for a few seconds so his eyes can adjust. He hadn’t meant to sleep all day. A quick glance at the other bed reveals a still lump on top of the mattress.

Now that he’s stirring, he hears the faint sound of chickens pecking around, and he groans as he sits up, rubbing his face. He’s pretty sure the chickens are what had woken him up, and he’s surprised that Tommy can sleep through that racket. “Tommy, we should get moving.” Maybe he should take a couple of chickens for food. There’s not a whole lot otherwise, except for bread.

There’s no response from the teen, so Bad stumbles over to the other bed. “Tommy, hey.” He reaches down to shake the lump in the bed, only to stumble forward when he doesn’t hit a body, but the bare mattress.

He could have sworn he saw Tommy in bed a second ago.

He forces down the panic threatening to build. Tommy wouldn’t dare go too far away at night; he’s pretty sure the kid is a lot smarter than that. Bad forces the images of creepers and zombies and skeletons all chasing the teen out of his mind as he steps out the front door. Tommy would probably be out here collecting and stealing anything he could get his hands on. 

“Tommy, you out here?” He scans the area for any sign of the blond boy nearby, but the villagers are heading inside their huts and preparing to lock down the village for the night. “Tommy?”

He waits thirty seconds, but there’s no response, still. Bad heads back inside, first scanning Tommy’s bed for the boy’s headset. When he doesn’t see it, Bad heads over to grab his own. The second it’s placed over his ears, he hears the sound of static, followed by muted voices in the background. That had better be Sapnap and George talking.

“Sapnap?” Bad asks. “Please be there, I’m not liking this situation I’m in.”

_“Bad? I’m here.”_ Sapnap’s voice is accompanied by the sound of thunking, and a squeaking chair. _“Are you okay?”_

“Uh, yeah. Want to tell me where Tommy is? Because he’s missing, it’s dark, and I have no idea where to start looking.”

_“He’s not there?”_

Bad sputters in surprise as he heads outside again. “Why the muffin are you asking _me?_ You’re watching the cameras, aren’t you? You tell me where he went!”

There’s a long pause that comes, and with it, an air of tension. Sapnap is humming quietly, tapping idly on his keyboard. Bad makes an impatient noise, trying to spur Sapnap back into talking. 

_“Hang on Bad."_

The line clicks off. Bad can’t even hear the sound of static, which means he switched to another line. Is he talking to Dream? Someone else? Rather than panic, it’s irritation building. Bad isn’t a fan of being dismissed or ignored when he’s trying to gain control of a situation, and right now, the situation has completely left his hands. He’s left alone in the middle of a desert, in a village, far away from spawn, and no Tommy.

He starts walking back the way they’d come, armed with only a pickaxe. It’ll have to do when the monsters come out, because he was stupidly relying on Tommy to be the knight here. He makes a mental note to craft himself some weapons the second he sees trees again.

There’s a rush of static again, causing Bad to flinch. “Sapnap?”

_“No, it’s George, now. So I know you were sleeping and weren’t exactly filled in, but I know where Tommy went.”_

“Uh, yeah, tell me, because I was supposed to be watching over him. I can’t exactly do that if he’s run off; he could be _anywhere.”_

_“Dream’s hunting him. You’re going to have to try to find the line they’re on and catch up to him. Keep going the direction you’re going, he shouldn’t be far off. Just be careful. Sorry I can’t help more.”_

The line switches off completely then. Bad freezes in place, staring up and watching as the sun dips below the horizon. He wasn’t informed of this change, but he has the feeling that this was Dream’s plan all along, regardless of what Bad did for Tommy.

He doesn’t have any other choice but to continue walking and hopes he finds Tommy before Dream does.  
  


* * *

  
  
Panting and out of breath, he ducks behind a tree, clutching a wooden pickaxe in his hands. He hasn’t had time to make it to the mines yet, or even if he can. He can hear leaves rustling in the distance, which tells him that his hunter is still gaining on him. With a panicked cry, Tommy pushes forward, trying to gain distance from Dream.

Dream, who is wearing full diamond armor. Full _enchanted_ diamond armor. Chasing Tommy, who’d been forced to leave his good behind before he could alert Bad that something had changed.

All Tommy has on him is a sword, and even that’s threatening to break. Though, he uses that to smack a cow he runs by, scrambling to grab the beef that falls to the ground. He can hear Dream’s voice now, calling his name in a sing-song that fills him with dread. 

Logically, Tommy knows it’s not real. He knows deep down that Dream isn’t actually aiming to hurt him, that he’s just trying to encourage Tommy. But the teenager is still half asleep, and having a fully armored man chasing after him right as night falls has Tommy filled with a sort of terror he’s never felt before.

“Tommy!” Dream’s voice sounds. There’s a giggle mingled in with his words, and Tommy pushes himself to run faster. He’s already wheezing, feeling himself lose whatever air he’s got. He hasn’t stopped running since he left the desert. 

_Bad_. He’d had to leave the sleeping man behind without so much as a warning. Tommy feels guilty over it. What if Bad wakes up and realizes Tommy isn’t there? Is he going to be angry? Tommy’s scared of Bad’s reaction. He’s even scared of Sapnap’s reaction

“Where’s Bad?” Tommy calls out. “He’s okay, isn’t he?” Mental images fill his frantic mind of Bad being slain for some reason. He recalls the sleeping man, though his mind is twisting that into Bad being dead for some reason. 

Christ, Dream is terrifying when he wants to be. 

“You didn’t hurt him, did you?” 

“What?” Comes the distant reply. It’s followed by Dream laughing loudly, that same, stupid cackle that Tommy had once thought contagious. Now, it’s terrifying. “No Tommy, Bad’s fine. Why would I hurt him?”

“Because you’re after me!” Tommy screeches. He ducks to the right, barreling straight ahead and hoping to find some sort of shelter to hide in. It wouldn’t work, because Dream has better tools, he could easily mine into wherever Tommy is hiding.

While running, he fumbles with his headset, trying to remember the channel he’d used previous. If he can get ahold of Sapnap, or alert Bad somehow, he could tell- 

“Tommy, I can see you now!” Dream taunts. “If I can see you, I can kill you. Better move faster!”

Tommy lets out another screech. Okay, no headset. Ignore the headset, he has to focus. He can see a ravine ahead of him, so he runs around it, throwing down blocks of dirt behind him in hopes of slowing Dream down. It’s growing even darker now, making it far harder to see anything. 

“What am I supposed to be doing Dream, I don’t understand!” 

“Speedrunning!” Comes the giddy reply. Tommy groans and swipes at a sheep a couple of times, grabbing the mutton that falls to the ground. He doesn’t even have stone to make a furnace with. That wouldn’t even matter, because he can’t stop long enough to get coal. This isn’t a speedrun, it’s a race for his life, and he knows he’s going to end up slowing down soon. 

“Can I get a break, please?” Tommy tries to call back. He wants to stop long enough to call Bad, because if he can get Bad on his headset again, Bad will walk him through everything. Bad had been the nicest to him so far, and Tommy had trusted Bad to help him. Without his guide, he feels the same way he did upon first waking up in the training grounds: lost, furious and confused. That suspicious feeling of Bad being _hurt_ again crosses his mind, but he has to trust that Dream is telling the truth.

He ducks behind a tree again, mining furiously at wood. He takes a couple of blocks before taking off again. At this point, it’s getting too dark to see, and Tommy can hear the rattle of skeletons nearby. This is only adding to his panic, adrenaline and terror running through him and pushing him forward.

“Dream, I’m going to die!” Tommy calls out. His voice is trembling more than he intends, but again, there’s no response. He risks a glance over his shoulder, sees a shimmer in the distance. It’s the only source of light, so Tommy takes a second to steady his breath. He’s _exhausted_ , and it’s obvious that Dream isn’t going to let him sit down for a breather.

He pushes forward again, trying to ignore the way his chest is aching. Dream isn’t responding to him, which is making the fear grow to unreasonable levels. Tommy knows he won’t actually permanently die, he’ll just respawn, but fumbling around in the darkness is starting to make him feel delirious. He veers to the left, hoping to lose Dream in the darkness. It probably won’t work, as Tommy is well aware of how bright his hair can be.

In sheer panic, Tommy stops to strike at a tree with his sword. Glancing over his shoulder, he doesn’t see the shimmering armor that Dream is wearing, so he feels safe to take a deep breath for a moment. He wonders if he has time to tear the tree down and grab some wood, though what he hears next pushes that thought completely out of his mind.

Seconds after hitting the tree, Tommy hears a faint buzzing sound. Eyes opening wide, he turns back toward the tree and slowly pans upward. 

Shit, there’s a beehive. 

There’s a beehive filled with bees. _Angry bees._

They’re all piling out of the hive now. Tommy can see their eyes as red, and that’s a sure sign that it’s time to panic even more. With a loud screech, Tommy drops his sword and pickaxe, then turns to run the other direction. He’s running faster than before, feeling his throat ache and burn with lack of air, tears pricking his eyes, and legs ready to give out beneath him. 

He runs straight into Dream, nearly sending them both sprawling to the ground. Luckily for him, Dream grips his arms to hold him steady. He doesn’t seem as concerned with chasing Tommy right now. “Tommy, what-?”

“Bees!” Tommy bellows, gesturing frantically behind him. “Bees! Run!” Tommy yanks away from Dream and continues to run. He’s going to collapse, he’s sure of it.

“Tommy wait! W- _you hit a beehive?”_ Dream sounds just as panicked. Tommy can still hear the angry buzzing coming toward him, and he instinctively throws his hands up over his head as he continues to run. He can hear Dream’s heavy footsteps behind him, trying to keep up with Tommy for once. “Why would you hit a beehive! Oh shit! Tommy they’re trying to sting me too!”

“Run!” Tommy screeches. He can’t see where he’s going, he can’t see anything around him, but he can hear noises around him, from skeletons to the hissing of creepers, and in the darkness, he’s imagining himself locked in a cage and near death.

It doesn’t take long for Dream to outpace Tommy though. Up ahead, Tommy is sure he can see the ravine he passed earlier, but before he can run around the side of it, a creeper explodes. Tommy can feel the agony and bubbling flesh of fire overtaking him as he falls. 

Falling...falling endlessly.  
  


* * *

  
  
Bad had just gotten onto the right channel just in time to hear Tommy scream something about bees, followed by the panicked sounds of Dream. There’s some yelling, but he’s still running, trying to find them. He’d been running straight for a long time, trying to reach their location and make an attempt to talk sense into Dream before anything more serious happened.

He hears the explosion over the headset, but Bad can also see the flash in the distance. There’s no screaming after that, so he switches back to the hub comms. 

“Guys, _guys!_ Get down here!” Bad yells, rushing for the scene of the explosion. “They’re hurt, they’re hurt!”

_“What do you mean they’re hurt?”_ George asks. Thank God George sounds worried. _“Bad what was that explosion? I don’t see Tommy anymore.”_

“I don’t know! I heard an explosion, okay? Please just teleport to my location, please? Right now, both of you.”

There’s no response from George then, but Bad doesn’t stop to wait for one. He continues running, only to stumble and windmill when he realizes the ground is giving out on him. With a scream of his own, he forces his momentum backward, throwing himself back onto solid ground before he falls into the ravine.

Feeling the blood drain out of his face, Bad crawls back to the edge and peers down. Somehow, he already knows what happened.

“Bad, we’re here!” 

He doesn’t respond as Sapnap and George kneel down next to him, both of them equipped with flashlights. Bad’s trembling, staring down. Even with light, it’s hard to see into the darkness below. “Han-hang on,” he stammers, pulling his headset off. 

He switches back to the other channel, the one Tommy had been using with Dream. He sets his headset down in front of him, turning the volume up to max. With a groan, he buries his face in the grass and inhales shakily, shaking his head on repeat. 

All they can hear now is the sound of broken, crackling static.


	6. 5.

_A twelve-year-old Tommy frowns at the paperwork in Philza’s hands. He knows exactly what that paperwork is for and why Phil is trying to keep it hidden. Tommy also knows he’s not supposed to follow the man into his office, but that doesn’t stop Tommy from doing it anyway._

_“Tommy, I’m busy, can this wait?” Phil asks with an eye roll. “I need to be alone.”_

_“Why’re you signing adoption papers?” Tommy insists. “I don’t want to be a part of this family if it means you’re going to use me for competitions.”_

_Phil stares at him, with an expression that resembles a deer-in-headlights. Tommy would laugh if the situation didn’t feel so urgent. The young teen moves closer to the desk, pressing the palms of his hands down as he glares at Phil. “I mean it Phil, I know the reputation you all have, and I don’t want to be a part of it.”_

_“You think we’re using you?” Phil shakes his head, looking sad. “Tommy, I’m giving you a home and a family. Just as I extended that to the others, I’m extending that to you. Of course you’re more than a figurehead. **I’m** more than a figurehead.”_

_“You’re a stupid twat, is what you are,” Tommy scowls. He turns to leave, rubbing his palms against the wall as he exits. “Have fun with your paperwork, I guess.”_

_“Does this mean I have your approval to adopt you?”_

_Tommy won’t admit it out loud, but he’s glad the legendary Philza is taking him in. Tommy can’t quell the pride rising up inside him, and how much he wants to make his foster father look at him with adoration and pride. Maybe not now, but eventually. “Yeah, I guess. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna start calling you dad though.”_

_As Tommy closes the door behind him, he hears Phil laugh quietly. Maybe he won’t call him ‘dad’ to his face, but the man has already been the best father he’s ever known._

Tommy wakes, dream almost instantly forgotten when reality sets in.

It’s not a slow climb back to consciousness, but a rapid, dizzying rush, as if he’s bolting from a bad nightmare. He’s gasping for air, but every breath he takes aches in his chest and he feels it in his sides, like someone is squeezing him a little too hard. His first thought is that Dream is gripping him firmly, as if afraid to let go. But when Tommy shifts, he realizes that he’s a few feet from Dream.

Dream is laying facedown, head twisted to the side. Tommy pales when he sees the mask Dream normally wears is cracked and splintered, pieces of it missing. Tommy doesn’t know when that happened; had they hit the cliff walls on their way down? They had to, otherwise the pair would not be in shambles.

More than that, Dream’s weapons and tools are lying around him. His diamond sword is broken clean in half, laying in pieces inches away from the man. Tommy’s trembling as he tries to get up, but only manages a pathetic whimper instead.

He aches too much to move. He aches too much to rise to his hands and knees to crawl over to the unconscious man lying next to him, and he aches too much to even cry.

Tommy’s pretty sure he’d broken a couple of ribs. There’s no way he’d survive this fall and not break a few bones. It’d be too easy to lie here and suffer in agony, but he can hear the rattling of skeletons. If they stay out in the open any longer, they’re most certainly going to die. He weighs the pros and cons of letting them both respawn, but Tommy knows it’ll be more agony he doesn’t want to deal with, and with Dream being out cold, that’s not a risk he really wants to take right now.

“D...ugh.” Tommy can’t even speak. Is his jaw broken too? Everything aches too much for him to think straight, and any shift results in his vision blinking in and out. He has to try _something_ though. He’s not going to be selfish enough to let Dream suffer. For himself, it’s not a huge deal, but Dream, he feels, has to come first.

Tommy lets out a yelp when he finally sits up. Bones crack and joints pop, and he’s certain each movement is causing even more injury, but he doesn’t have a choice. “Dream?” His voice is quiet, broken and hesitant. He’s not expecting a response from the older man, but he’s hoping for one. He needs to know that Dream isn’t completely gone.

Just sitting up was agony enough. Getting to his feet has Tommy hissing and crying and whimpering, trying to keep every bit of pain at bay. It’s hard when he’s nauseated and dizzy, and his vision keeps blinking in and out. It’s even harder to think when his head is thumping so painfully it feels like someone’s cracking his skull open. He wonders if he’s bleeding, too. Probably; he’d be surprised if he wasn’t at this point.

He doesn’t know how hard he’d fallen, and he especially doesn’t even know how he and Dream survived the fall in the first place. By all rights, they should have died and hit respawn. He glances up to see how far the distance is. From down here, it doesn’t look that bad, but it had certainly felt like a much longer fall than it actually was. At least he knows now how they survived.

There’s not enough light to see anything. He can’t see anything above, so he’s certain he’s completely alone now. Tommy rummages through his sack, trying to find anything he can use. He has a broken pickaxe, and he has a few things to build a campfire. He’s glad he’d gotten plenty of wood when he had the chance. What he needs now is coal.

Ignoring how much his body aches, Tommy starts mining away into the wall, grateful for the iron and the coal he’s finding right away. The process takes a lot longer than Tommy intends, and he has to constantly stop to take a breather. He’s opening wounds more, with blood dripping down his arms. His muscles are screaming at him, but Tommy forces himself to continue. He has to get Dream out of the open and into somewhere they can hide.

When the small hole is big enough, Tommy places two torches down against the wall as a small light source. He has to rely on that to keep the mobs at bay; it’s making him uneasy that there are creepers lurking nearby. The last thing Tommy wants is for one to wander too close and explode, killing both of them.

He bends over Dream, tapping the man on the cheek. “Dream?” Tommy asks. There’s a grunt of pain, followed by faint stirring, but nothing beyond that. He’s either sleeping or more injured than Tommy knows how to deal with.

He rolls Dream over, wincing at the injuries on the man. In the dim, flickering light of the torches, he can see an ugly purple bruise forming underneath the cracked and broken helmet. Tommy hisses when he realizes he’s probably sporting a similar bruise. When his thoughts zero back in on his own injuries, Tommy thinks of how Phil would handle this. Phil would probably murder Dream and Tommy both, as well as the other members of the team. His brothers would be right behind him...

The thought of his family brings a new sort of ache. Tommy misses home. He misses being at home and in bed where it’s warm and he has actual food, and is around people who don’t run him ragged or cause him to get hurt. God, everything just sucks right now. This entire training session had been a disaster from the get-go, and it’s even more of one now.

He pushes thoughts of the _Sleepybois_ out of his head. He can’t afford to think about them right now, not when it’s the middle of the night and there are zombies and skeletons and creepers surrounding them. He hooks his hands around Dream’s arms, trying to grip tightly without screaming in pain. Keeping his grip tight is making him feel like his arms are going to pop right off his body, but he chomps down on his tongue and starts dragging Dream into his makeshift cave, inch by inch.

Even Dream is crying out in pain. Tommy ignores the tears streaming down his cheeks as he backs into the hole, finally dropping Dream when they’re safe enough inside. Falling against the wall, Tommy heaves, fighting down waves of nausea and pain, ignoring how Dream rolls over and goes right back to sleep. He’s too dizzy, too injured, and it’s taking a lot more energy to remain upright than he wants to spend.

He can’t afford to go to sleep yet. He still has to build the campfire, and just the thought of moving again has Tommy wanting to collapse. He rests on his knees, trying to massage sore limbs first. He wants to clean the blood off, he wants to find food. More than ever, Tommy wants to go home.

Again, thoughts of his family take over his mind. He can’t push the thoughts away this time, they’re swirling around as he builds the fire. He’s no longer crying out of pain now, but out of guilt. He can’t do this. He can’t do _this,_ specifically. This whole ordeal hadn’t been worth it. Had he known he’d end up cold and injured at the bottom of a ravine, he never would have entered competitions in the first place.

He can see the expressions of disappointment on Phil’s face. He can hear his brothers mocking him, jeering at him and joking about how he can’t handle the heat. Why wouldn’t they? Tommy remembers the training sessions they’d all gone through, they’ve all pushed themselves beyond what they could handle and have barely broken a sweat.

He’s not like them. He’s competed with them a few times, even earned himself a few victories, but Tommy knows he’s nowhere near their level of skill. He’s always skated by unnoticed. His dad and brothers get all the attention. _Dream_ gets all the attention, he’s just the sixteen year old with a hot mouth and even hotter temper.

“Who am I playing at?” Tommy growls to himself. He lays a few pieces of meat next to the fire in an attempt to cook it. At least moving is getting slightly easier, now that he’s not completely straining himself. “I’m not good enough.”

He sits back down and hunches forward in front of the fire. He doesn’t even bother wiping his eyes dry as he watches the meat sizzle. Behind him, he can hear Dream stirring again, but Tommy ignores him. The stupid bastard is asleep, which Tommy is thankful for. He wants to be even more alone than he is now.

Burying his face in his hands, Tommy groans.

“I wanna go home,” he mutters. “I just wanna go home and forget about all of this. I’ve never been good enough, I’m just a stupid kid, and I have no idea what I’m doing anymore.”

He turns around to glare at Dream, not flinching when he sees the man’s eyes open. Turning back toward the fire, Tommy hunches forward again, ignoring the way his head is pounding now.

“Tommy?”

“Being friends with you and your stupid team isn’t worth it anymore,” Tommy grumbles. “Sorry, but I’m done.”


	7. 6.

Sitting in silence is one thing when the person he’s sitting with is unconscious, but sitting in silence when Dream has been staring at him for the past hour is something massively uncomfortable, and Tommy has no idea how long he’s able to keep up the silent treatment for.

To Dream’s credit, he hasn’t tried to force Tommy to speak since his outburst, but Tommy can feel that stare boring a hole through the nape of his neck, and the sheer discomfort of it all is causing his hair to stand on end. He wants to turn around and tell Dream to go back to sleep or close his eyes, but that would involve talking, and Tommy is still feeling anger and guilt inside. 

Instead, he pokes at the fire, trying to shut out any thought that would make him feel sick to his stomach, and instead focuses on the pain he’s still feeling. Everything still aches, but at least he can deal with trying to tend to himself instead of actually confronting Dream.

Evidently, that’s not good enough for the speedrunner. Tommy can hear Dream shifting behind him, grunting in pain as he moves around. The grunting is cut off with a sharp intake of breath, followed by a quiet yelp. Tommy whips around to stare, instinctively wanting to drop his own tantrum to help Dream, but when he sees the man curled up on his side, Tommy turns back toward the fire, ignoring the way his neck cracks at the movement.

“Tommy, are you okay?” Dream finally asks. He sounds broken. Far more broken than Tommy is. Dream should be recovering, he was unconscious for longer than Tommy was; there’s no telling how severe _his_ injuries are. Slowly, Tommy turns back around to stare at him. In the flickering fire, he can see how messy Dream looks. The guy has bruises up and down his face and neck, and Tommy can only imagine many more underneath his shirt. Dream’s bleeding, too, with one eye swollen almost shut. He’s clutching his hip, breathing raggedly as if every breath is causing him more pain than he deserves.

“Please say something,” Dream whispers. “Please say something to me so I know you’re okay.”

“Physically or mentally?” Tommy asks. He turns back to poke at the fire. He’s debating putting more food on the flames, but they barely have any mutton left. Whatever they have, they’re stuck with until they either find their way out or get help. He wonders if Bad left when he realized Tommy was gone, or if he knows what happened. Tommy has the feeling he and Dream really are alone.

“I’m hoping both,” Dream admits. “Physically first, then maybe mentally?”

“Physically, not great. I feel like I broke every bone in my body, I’m stuck in a ravine with a puny fire as our only source of light, heat and food. Mentally? Not so great, though I’m pretty sure you already know why.”

Tommy doesn’t mean to sound so snarky. He feels bad for sounding so snarky, but he isn’t going to apologize for the words alone. Dream needs to hear it. 

“Did you mean what you said?” Dream prods. “About how being my friend isn’t worth it?” Damn it, he sounds downtrodden. Tommy lets out a groan as he squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn’t want to have any part of this conversation, he doesn’t want to keep talking, he just wants to go back home so he can sleep in a warm bed.

“I don’t know anymore,” Tommy growls. He turns back to face Dream. “You dragged me out against my will, Dream. I’ve no clue what I’m supposed to be doing, or even where I’m going. I wake up from a nap and you’re stood over my bed, telling me to run. I can’t even tell Bad you’re there, I just run because the alternative is you slicing my head off with a sword. I don’t want to be a speedrunner or a hunter, not if this is what’s going to happen every time.”

“This was a fluke. It was supposed to be a lot smoother than this.”

“A fluke? Dream, you and your team _kidnapped_ me. You’re calling an intentional act a _fluke?”_ Tommy laughs in disbelief, only to double over as his chest burns with the action. “I’ve no idea where you’re from, but where I’m from, people don’t kidnap people and call it training. I’ve never done any sort of speedrunning before, I don’t know how it works, and I especially don’t know why you think it ties into the stupid championships. I just want to go back home, alright?”

He hates the expression on Dream’s face. Dream actually looks heartbroken, the pain is evident on his face. Tommy feels a tinge of regret, which he pushes down. He doesn’t want to rein in his impulsive nature, he doesn’t want to deal with the possibility that he went too far. He wants to continue to feel justified.

“I’m sorry, Tommy.” Dream forces himself upright again, swaying slightly with dizziness that Tommy is too familiar with. “You’re right. I didn’t think things through, I just saw a chance to take you under my wing and give you what _I_ thought was a gift. I should have talked to you beforehand.”

“What did you and my dad talk about? Why did you get Phil to agree to it in the first place? He never would’ve agreed to it otherwise.”

Dream nods. “You want the whole truth then?” He doesn’t wait for a response before launching into speech again. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how you took us down during the last championship. You were quick, you were in charge, and you pulled off a really cool move. I’ve been studying you in past championships too, and you’re just. I don’t know, you’re definitely taking after your family. I guess I just wanted to take this talent and help it grow.” He sighs, rubbing at his face. “As for your dad, I just told him I wanted to help. He only agreed under the condition you weren’t permanently hurt or killed.”

“Guess you failed that then, didn’t you?” Tommy snarks. He ignores the wince from Dream. “Look, I get you were coming from a good place, but I’m not cut out for this.” He waves vaguely around the area. “We’re in a tiny cave, it’s the middle of the night, and there are zombies and creepers everywhere. I haven’t even had time to craft a sword or armor. I don’t have the same training or know-how you all have. I’ve only been at this for about a year, and I only agreed to it because my dad and brothers wanted to compete as a family.”

“Do you really have that little faith in yourself?” Dream asks. “You’re better than you’re giving yourself credit for.”

“I’m one of the youngest competitors,” Tommy admits. “Not many people take me seriously, and even when they do, I still have to shout or talk over people to be heard. Sometimes it sucks the fun out of competing.”

“I take you seriously,” Dream whispers. “I’m serious, I’ve seen you in action, and I think you honestly have what it takes. Maybe a little too eager to prove yourself, but you’re skilled. You’ve got the leadership skills too. You can be a champion without your family overshadowing you, and with more discipline, you could be a speedrunner. Or hunter, or even both. You don’t...I dunno. I’m just sorry.”

Tommy doesn’t know what to say to this. He hasn’t even heard these words from his brothers yet. Phil is one thing, but Tommy had always chalked it up to the man fake-praising him to keep Tommy close. Techno and Wilbur had never said anything like this, as far as he remembers. So hearing it from Dream of all people, someone he’d always looked up to, is new and… honestly painful.

“Did I tell you I’m adopted?” Tommy asks.

“I haven’t heard much about that. You don’t have to elaborate if you don’t want to.”

“I was twelve, alright? Phil had already adopted Techno and Wilbur at that point, like a couple years before-hand. He wanted me too, for some reason. I wasn’t anyone special, I hadn’t competed. I played some shit in my area of town, but they weren’t huge, just a bunch of city kids getting together and pretending we were something bigger.” He shrugs. “I wanted to pretend I was cool and that I had some sort of place to go.”

“So how did Phil come into the picture?”

“I don’t know. He came to the home I was in, and picked me out of the crowd. Said he’d seen me in the games and thought I had potential. Also said I would bring stability to his home, whatever the fuck that means. Could’ve been worse though, he could have not adopted me at all.”

“You think you were only brought on because you would round out his team?” Dream frowns. “I don’t think that’s it, Tommy, I think he genuinely-” 

“I know he cares!” Tommy clenches his hands into fists. “I know he cares about me, I know my brothers care about me. The problem isn’t that I don’t want to compete, the problem is I want to make them proud of me. Fuck, Dream. I’m _useless._ Techno and Wilbur are always going on about how I’m annoying, I need to shut up, this and that. You’re the first person since I was twelve to tell me you believed in me. _Phil_ doesn’t even tell me that.”

He’s not going to cry. He refuses to cry. He doesn’t want Dream’s pity or comfort, not when they both desperately need a trip to the hospital. Yet, tears are springing to his eyes anyway, and his throat is tightening.

“Why don’t they tell you that? I was under the impression you’re a happy family.” 

“We are.” Tommy turns away to hastily wipe his eyes. “Under normal circumstances, yes. But it’s not like we’re showing it at every turn. I just...I just want to know I’m not a complete failure. I don’t want to hear it from you, I want to hear it from _them.”_

There’s a long silence. Tommy knows Dream doesn’t know how to react, and that’s okay with him. He’s done more than enough talking to last him all night, Tommy just wants to keep the fire alive as long as possible. He lays the last two pieces of mutton out next to the fire, ignoring how the smell of meat is making him queasy, rather than hungry.

He’d meant what he said, too. He knows his dad and brothers love him, he knows he’s gotten pretty lucky in terms of having a good home, a good family, and a good life ahead of him. Tommy wonders if that’s why he’s been so reluctant to play along with this training session from the get-go; the people who matter aren’t around to see him succeed, they won’t be around to tell him what he desperately wants to hear.

Not that he wants to show off, either. If he were to be honest with himself, and he’s letting himself be completely honest now- he would say that this is exactly what he wants. He wants to win, he wants to compete. He wants to be a hunter, a speedrunner, he wants to stand in a hall of fame somewhere, with a medal. Tommy wants his dad to look at him with pride. 

He wants to hear Techno and Wilbur cheering for him.

Dream had been right; this training session is a rare gift, and Tommy had squandered it in all the worst ways. Moreover, he’d blamed Dream when this should’ve been his chance to do things right. 

No, they’d both fucked up. 

“Whenever we get out of here, I’ll take you home,” comes Dream’s faint response. When Tommy turns to look, Dream’s laying down again, eyes barely open. Wait, that’s not a good sign. “I messed up and I should give you the chance…”

“Dream, Dream wait.” Tommy scrambles over, ignoring the way his body screams at him. “Don’t pass out on me, I’m cooking food, see? Dream, I need you, please don’t-”

There’s no response. Tommy can shake Dream as hard as he needs to, but Dream is unconscious again. A new, nauseating wave of panic crashes over Tommy like a tidal wave, with him realizing he’s on his own again. He waits a few seconds, silently counting to twenty before he springs to action.

He kicks out the fire. The meat is accidentally kicked into the ashes, promptly forgotten about. Tommy grabs whatever he can salvage, which isn’t much. He doesn’t really need anything anyway. 

The headsets are useless, but the few torches he has, along with the pickaxe, are grabbed. The last thing on the agenda is Dream.

With great difficulty, Tommy hoists Dream up and throws him over his shoulder. Tommy’s crying tears of pain; this is complete agony for him. Everything about this hurts, but he’s not going to let them die down here, not when Dream needs help. If the headsets are broken, surely the respawn chips are busted as well, which means he needs to dig his way out. Otherwise there’s no hope for either of them.

He retreats further into the cave and starts digging upward. It’s a slow, painful process, but Tommy’s keeping his family in mind. He needs to think about them, and how proud they could be of him. Against all odds, he’s coming out of this in one piece instead of giving up. Tommy’s never been a quitter, and he’s not going to start now.

“I’m a speedrunner,” he mutters to himself. Scabbed wounds are re-opening, his muscles are screaming at him, but he’s pushing himself. “I’m a competitor, I’m a winner. Phil will be proud of me, Wilbur will be proud of me, Techno will be proud of me.”

The ground is disappearing. Tommy can only see darkness above him as he digs into the ravine wall, slowly making his way up. The process feels like it’s taking hours upon hours, but moving is easier when he’s not stopping for a breath. He can’t afford to take breaks, not when he’s so close to the surface and freedom.

He continues his mantra, sweat and tears blurring his vision. His grip on Dream and the pickaxe are weakening, which makes him cling tighter. He can’t risk dropping Dream now, not when the man is already so weak as is. Tommy wonders if he’s still unconscious. 

“I’m a speedrunner-” 

“Tommy?” That sounds like George. Tommy mines another block away until something softer than stone gives, nearly causing him to slip.

He’s hit dirt. He punches through it, only to be met with someone on the other side grabbing his wrist, and another pair of hands pulling away at the grass and dirt nearby. The result is a sunrise staring him in the face. Blinking, Tommy looks up to see Sapnap, Bad, and George staring down at him.

They immediately grab at him and Dream, pushing Tommy down and checking him over. Distantly, Tommy can hear the sound of a helicopter, but he’s too disoriented and exhausted to really understand what that means. Now that he’s not moving, he can feel himself slipping into darkness.

“Dream-” he tries to say, but George shushes him. 

“Tommy, it’s okay. You’re okay, you’re both okay. We’re going to get you both out of here, just rest. We’ve got you.” George sounds so worried, Tommy wants to tell him he’s fine. He wants to brag about how he got Dream out of there all by himself, with no one’s help.

He doesn’t get a chance to. When he finally succumbs to unconsciousness, his dreams are of him standing on a platform facing a large crowd, with his dad cheering the loudest for him.


	8. 7.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some wholesome SBI content, I feel like we all much needed it right now. It just so happens to fall in line with how my outline goes. Anyway, enjoy the family bonding!

It’s the feeling of fingers in his hair that has him stirring. He’s still half in a dream, and he can imagine those fingers to be from some long-forgotten parent that no longer exists. Tommy imagines a mother singing to him, but the voice whispering to him is too deep to come from a woman. The voice does have the benefit of sounding familiar, so Tommy struggles to blink his eyes open. He’s still far too sleepy to really move around much, but he focuses a blurry gaze on the figure sitting by his bedside.

“Hello, Tommy.” It’s Phil. He’s wearing a gentle smile, and the setting sun coming in behind him is still too bright to be allowed; Tommy’s squinting and turning his head away. 

“Phil?” Tommy’s own voice is still too groggy and weak. He’s trying to remember how he ended up here. It’s clearly the hospital, if the sterile aura is anything to judge. He wishes he were at home in his own bed, but at least the hospital bed is comfortable enough for him to stay put for now.

“How’re you feeling, son?” Phil gets up to close the blinds, providing an instant relief. “You’ve been asleep for some time now. Your brothers will be happy to know you’re finally awake.”

Oh. He remembers now. He’d gotten seriously hurt in a training session with Dream. The entire past few days is nothing but a large blur, but Tommy does remember vividly how determined he’d felt toward the end, and how much he still wants to prove himself. It shouldn’t have ended like that.

Flinging an arm across his eyes, he lets out a heavy sigh, not sure what to feel anymore.

“Tommy?” Phil gently moves his arm to the side, and Tommy’s vision blurs again when he sees the concerned expression on Phil’s face. “Are you hurting anywhere?”

“No.” It’s mostly true. Aside from minor, vague aches, Tommy can’t feel much. He assumes it’s because of the drugs in his system, and he knows there are drugs. One does not get admitted to the hospital without being dosed with a plethora of painkillers. “What happened?”

“I was hoping you’d tell me that,” Phil says. “George called me after you and Dream were admitted, and I came as soon as I could.”

“How long was I even here?”

“About a day or so,” Phil responds. “You’ve been asleep. Sedated, I think. The doctor said every time you woke up you cried out of pain. I heard you took a heavy fall.”

Tommy breathes out slowly. He remembers the fall too well. Falling into a ravine, having to tend to Dream, venting his frustrations... “Yeah. It fucking hurt.” He tries to manage a grin, but it feels lopsided, and Tommy can feel the sluggishness weighing him down again. Tommy doesn’t want to sleep though, he wants to stay awake and talk to Phil. After days of not seeing his family, he wants to spend as much time with them as possible.

“Phil, can I ask you something?” Tommy asks. He watches Phil for a reaction, and gets one in the form of a tilted head and a curious hum. “Why did you let them take me?”

“I think this is a line of questions and answers that’s best left for when you’re feeling better.” Phil’s too good at keeping his voice gentle. “I will tell you though, I am proud of you. I heard from Bad that you did great for your first run. I know how much you’ve been wanting a chance to prove yourself. I’m very proud of you.”

Tommy’s eyes water. It’s the words he’d been wanting to hear for ages, but it feels so hollow right now. Like Phil is only proud of him for doing something big, and not just proud of him in general. There’s no energy left to clarify what Phil actually means, but he can guess what the answer is. Tommy realizes that Phil probably wants to hear ‘dad’ just as much as Tommy wants to hear ‘I’m proud’, but Tommy can’t bring himself to say the words.

“I should go to sleep.” Tommy turns away again, letting depression settle over him. Instead of wishing he was back at home, he’s now wishing he could go back out into the plains and practice speedrunning again. His fingers are itching to craft tools and see how fast he can run this time. It’d be far easier now with all that experience and knowledge under his belt; it’d probably even be easy to accomplish it with all three members of the team chasing after him.

“Tommy, listen.” Phil reaches over and pats Tommy’s shoulder. The teen scoots closer unconsciously, not wanting that comfort to end. “I mean it. I’m proud of you, alright? You’re my son. It doesn’t matter what you do or what you don’t do, I’m always going to be proud of you. I don’t say that enough, and you need to hear it.”

“Thank you.” Tommy’s voice is cracked and hushed. Tears are forming, and he hastily tries to wipe them away, telling himself it’s just the drugs in his system, and not actual emotions. “I just…” The words trail off there. His mind blanks out as soon as the words are out of his mouth, and that’s when Tommy knows he needs to go back to sleep. A pitiful expression is thrown toward Phil, who laughs. Phil goes back to threading his fingers through Tommy’s hair, sending the teen into a more relaxed and sleepy state of mind. For the first time in days, Tommy feels safe and comforted.

“Go to sleep Toms. You’ll be able to go home soon. Your brothers will be happy to see you, alright?”

“Mm.” It’s all Tommy can manage now, and before long, he’s asleep. He doesn’t remember his dreams, but that’s alright. He’s with his dad, and that’s what’s most important.

* * *

_Whump._

“Tommy, oy.” A finger prods at his cheek, and Tommy swats at it irritatingly. He’d been having a dream about doing parkour in a swimming pool, he’d like to go back to that dream. “Tomathy, wake up.” The finger prods at him again, forcing Tommy to blink his eyes open.

Wilbur’s standing over him. He’s wearing an annoyingly bright smile on his face, the kind that makes Tommy want to shove his brother’s face into a pillow. Groaning, Tommy rolls over onto his stomach, still too out of it to remember he’d already been checked out, and had fallen asleep waiting for a ride.

“You can sleep at home, you know. I’ve come to take you there.” He can hear Wilbur leaning in closer, lowering his voice as well. “This is a dream, Tommy. You’re asleep, and you’re having a dream. You’re dreaming of… of ice cream! You want ice cream. Maybe if you cooperate with me, I’ll buy you some on the way.” 

This gets his attention. Pushing himself upright brings a new wave of pain, but Tommy grits his teeth and keeps silent about it. If Wilbur knew Tommy was still hurting, he’d probably try to keep Tommy here a lot longer. Home is far more ideal than the stupid hospital. It’s been what, close to two days now?

“What was that thud earlier?” Tommy grunts. Sitting up makes him feel dizzy. At least Wilbur is nice enough to offer a hand out for him to grip onto. “Did you trip over your own feet again?” He takes the offered hand and tugs on it, pulling himself to his feet. The head rush has Wilbur tightening his grip on Tommy, because he’s dangerously close to falling to the floor.

“It wasn’t a bang, Tommy. I was setting something down on the nightstand.” Wilbur chuckles. “You’re alright, yeah?” The expression on his face is more concern than amusement. Tommy nods without saying anything, though he glances toward the door to indicate where he wants to go.

“Alright.” Wilbur nods in response. He picks up the phone he’d set down. That’s probably the _whump_ he’d heard, it only sounded loud because he’d been asleep. “We’ll get you a milkshake on the way home, alright? You look like you need some.” 

“I barely remember anything while here,” Tommy grumbles. “I remember changing a little while ago, and then I guess I fell asleep again.” Oh yeah, his nurse had checked him out already. 

“You’re on...I think Phil said a few different painkillers. I’m not surprised you’re feeling loopy right now.” Wilbur puts a hand on Tommy’s shoulder to steer him out of the room. “Also, I already grabbed everything that belongs to you. All that’s left is to go home.”

“Where’s Phil?” 

“He had to run a few errands today. He should be at home by the time we get there, so don’t you worry.” He guides Tommy out of the room, down the hall, and toward the exit. Wilbur only lets go of Tommy to open the doors for him, before guiding him out to the car.

Tommy sits and stares at himself in the rear-view mirror. He’s still a mess: covered with bandages and bruises that are fading, but still visible. He looks high, clearly still on pain medication and it visibly shows in the way his eyes are drooping and bloodshot. Turning the mirror away, Tommy resigns himself to staring out the window during the drive.

As promised, Wilbur does stop to get him a milkshake. It’s chocolate, which is okay with Tommy, though he would have preferred something more _fun_ to drink. At the very least, it’s something he can remember putting into his mouth. By the time they arrive home, Tommy’s already mostly finished drinking it. It’s not solid food, but Tommy’s not feeling very hungry anyway. He’d rather go to bed and sleep off whatever drugs are still in his system.

It takes a few moments for him to get out of the car and inside the house. He stops right in the entry, glaring at the house in general. Everything comes rushing back to him; he’d gone to bed one night, and woke up in the middle of a forest. No one had bothered to come looking for him? Had all three of them known where he was the whole time?

He remembers the strange looks he’d gotten from Wilbur and Techno his last night here. Of course they knew. Phil had known. Phil had given _permission_ for Dream to kidnap him. Did that mean his brothers had given that same permission? 

Anger rushes through him, stronger than any exhaustion or pain. No longer is he leaning against Wilbur, now he’s pulling himself away stiffly. His trust in his own family is shattered; they’d put him in danger.

“Tommy?” Wilbur sounds concerned. It seems to click a second later, because he clicks his tongue. “Shit. Phil?”

“I’m here!” Phil calls out. He appears in view a second later, wearing a grin on his face. The smile wilts when he sees the furious expression on Tommy’s face. “Hi, Toms. Welcome home, are you alright?”

“You let them take me,” Tommy says flatly. “You knew what they were up to, you knew they were going to kidnap me, and you didn’t tell me.”

Phil lets out a heavy sigh. “You just arrived home. Come sit down, please. I owe you a conversation.” 

“I don’t _want_ to have a conversation,” Tommy mutters. “I want to go to bed.”

Wilbur makes the decision for him, by pushing him toward Phil. Tommy stumbles, but Phil is quick to grab at him. “Wil, don’t push him around like that. Tommy, please sit and talk to me.”

Tommy tries to pull back, but Phil tightens his grip on him, guiding him toward the sofa. Sitting down, Tommy squeezes himself into the corner of the couch, glaring at the ground. 

“I knew you wanted it,” Phil starts off. “I don’t have any other way to excuse my actions, but we all knew you would want it. You like trying to prove yourself.” 

“So you let him kidnap me?” 

“The focus shouldn’t be on that,” Phil says. “You’re right, I should have talked to you before it happened, you should have been able to go willingly. We know you though, you’re too afraid to take risks when we all know you’re dying for a chance to rise above us. We can tell it’s got you down.”

Hunching forward, Tommy scrubs at his face. His breathing is quickening, causing his chest to tighten, and he knows he’s on the verge of tears. “I’m never going to be better than any of you,” he admits. “You three are _legends._ I’m just some dumb-” 

“Hey.” Wilbur’s speaking now, Tommy can feel him drop on the couch next to him. “You’re not a dumb kid, alright? You never give yourself any sort of credit, so yeah… we messed up by not talking to you about Dream’s hand beforehand. That’s entirely our fault.”

Tommy grips the edge of Wilbur’s sleeve, realizing he desperately needs some sort of comfort. All his defenses are starting to break down, leaving him feeling vulnerable and helpless, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can keep the tears at bay.

“I just… I just want to be _good,”_ he whispers. “I’m useless, I’m reckless, and they...I hurt Dream. He’s never gonna talk to me again.”

Wilbur responds by wrapping both arms around Tommy. “Hey, you’re not useless, you’re a damned prodigy. You’re my _brother,_ Tommy. You’re so much better than you’ve ever given yourself credit for. You work hard, you play harder, and you’ve had so many shining moments in the championships. Why are you so hard on yourself?”

He curls into his older brother, letting the dam break. It’s hard to speak for the longest time, though Wilbur is helping by rocking him back and forth. There are so many ways to explain where he went wrong, but the words aren’t coming easily. 

Though Phil seems to understand well enough to take a very accurate guess. 

“Is it because you feel like you have to compete with us?” Phil asks. “Something about not being good enough, because I adopted you?”

“Oh, Tommy’s home?” Techno’s voice drifts down from upstairs. Tommy immediately pulls away from Wilbur, wiping at his eyes. He can be soft around Wilbur, but Techno is even more of a legend. They love each other, sure, but Techno’s name is the biggest in the league, Tommy still feels intimidated by him, even now. “Heyy, Tommy!” Techno appears at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a thin-lipped smile on his face. “Heard you were coming home from the hospital today… are you crying?”

“Shut up Blade,” Tommy mutters, turning his body away. “You wouldn’t understand.” 

“He’s having an inferiority complex,” Wilbur stage-whispers. Tommy swats him in the shoulder for that, earning a giggle for his efforts.

“I am _not,”_ Tommy snaps. “We’re talking about how you all fucked up and betrayed me.” He shoots his tongue out at Wilbur, but wilts at the _**look**_ Phil is throwing at him. “...maybe a little talk about how I’m not good enough for this family.”

“Bruh, you got _Dream’s_ attention,” Techno points out. “Dream doesn’t up and recruit just anyone. I had to chase him down at one of the championships to get his attention.” He rolls his eyes, but sits on the floor in front of Tommy. “If you’re good enough for Dream, you’re good enough for us.” He sounds so confident. It’s so easy for Techno to be confident, he’s a god among gods. There’s no hope of Tommy ever coming _close_ to catching up to his level of skill. At least, that’s what’s currently on his mind. 

He rubs at his eye with the heel of his hand. “It’s my fault Dream and I ended up in the hospital,” Tommy reminds him. “Everyone says it behind my back, when they think I can’t hear them. That I don’t listen, I’m too loud, too reckless. Or worse, even too bossy. I’ve heard people say I talk over all three of you too much and that’s why I drag everyone down.”

“Are you seriously taking all that to heart?” Wilbur asks. “Tommy, everyone talks crap about everyone else.”

If this is meant to be reassuring, it’s not working. Tommy buries his face in the arm of the sofa with a dramatic wail. 

“Okay no, that’s not what I meant. Let me backup a few sentences.” Wilbur chuckles, but grabs at Tommy’s arm to pull him upright. “Tommy, look at me. Are you looking?”

Tommy faces him, then looks past him at Phil, then finally turns his gaze down toward Techno. All three of them are _here,_ and whatever Wilbur’s about to say has to be important, because they’re all here, and they’re all being so nice to him. It’s overwhelming, because he can’t remember the last time the four of them had sat down for a serious conversation like this.

“Tommy. You’re our brother, you’re Philza’s son. You _have_ to stop comparing yourself to us, you have to stop trying to live up to an impossible standard. It’s impossible to reach because not even we are up there. Not even _Dream_ is up there. You know us, you know us more than you think you do. You know Dream, and Sapnap, and Bad and George now. What have you learned from your time with us, and with them?”

“...Sapnap was kind of a dick,” Tommy mutters, once he thinks everything over. “Bad was annoying, and like...Dream was... “

“They’re human,” Wilbur finishes for him. “We’re all human. We’re not super gods or unreachable. You can’t keep trying to measure up, because there’s nothing to measure up _to._ You’re already there.”

“Yeah, like. Tommy, c’mon.” Techno starts laughing. His approach seems more lukewarm than Wilbur’s, but Tommy can hear the care in his voice all the same. “You’re really good in the championships. You brought up all the negativity surrounding you, but you’re completely brushing over what good things people’ve said too. You’re a great leader, you fight hard, and you’re really good at taking people down. You’re seriously a force to be reckoned with. If you were really that bad, I don’t think Dream would have picked you out of the crowd.”

“It’s not Dream, is it?” Phil asks quietly. 

Tommy shakes his head, confirming their suspicions.

“Oh, Tommy.” Phil breathes lightly. “Of course we love you. You’re more than enough for us. There is no ‘good enough’ or whatever you’ve gotten in your head over the past few days.”

“I want to prove myself.” His voice is shaky, but he’s not crying as hard anymore. “You…you’ve never said you were proud of me. I never knew _why_ you adopted me, I just felt like I had to go into competitions and... and I just…”

“I adopted you because I liked the charisma you had,” Phil says. “And still have. You were a little boy who laughed in spite of the hardships in life, and I wanted your spark to brighten my own life. I never intended to force you into anything. I love you as you. Whatever you do with your life has to be your decision, I’ll be proud of you regardless.”

“You mean it? All of you?” Tommy sits up straighter now. A weight feels like it’s been lifted off his chest and shoulders, and while it’s a nice feeling, it doesn’t change the fact that Dream probably won’t talk to him again.

“Of course. And if you’re still worried about Dream and his team, I can give them a call for you. Perhaps we can arrange another training session, with your permission this time. I’ll not make that same mistake again.”

Tommy nods, finally. He’s ready to go to bed, feeling wiped out all over again. “Yeah. Thanks… dad. I love you too.”

“You called him dad!” Wilbur cheers. “You actually called him dad!”

It takes a minute for Tommy to remember he’d always avoided that word for whatever reason. This conversation had been more therapeutic than he’d expected, so he slumps back against the couch. He’s too tired to really pay attention anymore. Phil’s reaction is hard to miss though; the man looks surprised and near tears himself. 

Phil’s clearly happy about the sudden shift in mood though. He’s doing a good job of hiding it as he gets to his feet, moving around Wilbur and Techno to reach for Tommy. “You seem sleepy,” Phil points out. “Why don’t you have a sleep and relax for a few days? We’ll get in touch with Dream and see if we can’t try again?”   
Tommy nods at the offer. Getting to his feet, he leans against Phil, letting his father guide him upstairs and to his room. 

This time, Tommy doesn’t have to worry about waking up somewhere strange. He feels whole and light, much better than he remembers ever feeling. With his family behind him and cheering him on, he’s pretty sure nothing can drag him down again.


End file.
